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Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Sun May 12, 2019 6:16 pm
by GillZB21
Kitty
Kitty
Our cat - Kitty - who we think is a stray - turned up about a year ago and has been visiting us since then and staying more and more often - so as she's chosen us we feel it's our responsibility to look after her. We suspect she may have had kittens around Xmas time as she was getting fat and disappeared for about 2 months and we were worried sick - thought she'd left us. Then she turned up in March really skinny and has not left us since then. So to avoid unwanted pregnancy we took her to vet Saturday and she's in to get spayed tomorrow. She's a tiny thing - vet said about 18 months old - and her frame and build is too tiny for kittens so we feel we are doing the right thing. We're also having her chipped - we still don't knuw if she's someone's cat as we've asked around with no success and think as she's happy with us we should keep her. We didn't want a cat - but she must have wanted us and we love her - we can't believe that her previous owner couldn't be bothered to pay for her to be spayed to save unnecessary kittens and poor Kitty suffering but as we're both inexperienced with female cats and spaying we'd appreciate any advice as to how to look after her post surgery - she's a real outdoors cat and will go mad being kept in for a fortnight! Thankyou 😸

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 8:02 am
by Ruth B
Welcome to the forum and thank you for looking after Kitty.

If you live in the UK and an apparent stray appears, you should legally make reasonable attempts to find out if it has an owner, checking for a chip, asking local charities, vets and neighbours and putting up posters is I believe accepted as 'reasonable attempts'. The other option would be to put a paper collar on her with your phone number asking any owner to call you. If no one comes forward to claim her then she is yours if you want her. If she has been with you all the time since March and not wandering off for long periods and you have seen no posters listing her as a lost cat, then I don't think you have much to worry about with taking her in.

My one concern is those weeks she was missing, it is possible that her 'owners' kept her in with her kittens for a couple of months and as soon as she was allowed out again she was back round to you. If that is what happened I hate to think what might have happened to the kittens. However if she is already 18 months and hasn't been spayed that was probably her 3rd or 4th litter of kittens so in my opinion the sooner she is spayed now the better.

As for the post spaying care, I can't really help, all my cats have come from rescues as adults and have been already spayed or neutered. She will need to be kept in for a while and might even have to wear a cone or similar to stop her picking at any stitches she has. Different vets have different methods for spaying and closing up the wound afterwards, your best bet is to speak to your vet about it. One thing I have heard is that sometimes the pain medication seems to work too well causing the cat to end up harming herself as she doesn't realise something is wrong with her. Limiting the pain medication can actually be beneficial in this type of case, you give them enough to take the edge off, but not enough to make them feel fully well.

Hopefully others will be on with more advise for how to make sure she doesn't hurt herself after the operation and thank you again for looking after her I hope she gives you many years of love.

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 10:45 am
by GillZB21
Thankyou so much for your reply - we did everything we could to find her owners so as from today she is being chipped so will be our cat (in as much as a cat is anyone's! More like we are hers!) I've asked about post operative care at vets and they aren't very helpful and have only said don't let her out for a fortnight - I was a bit disappointed with the service as being first time female cat owners we had hoped for a bit more support - we signed up fir a care plan without really understanding what it's about - we felt very rushed as though we an inconvenience - maybe should have done some research on vets but just went to the closest as they could get her in immediately.
Kitty is in now having her op and I'm a bag of nerves and worried for her as she's so tiny and hope her little heart is strong enough to see her through.
I may put another post up asking fir post op advice if I don't hear anything more today - but Thankyou for taking the time to reply and for your kind welcome 😺

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 11:34 am
by Mollycat
It's been a very long time since I last had a girl spayed, 32 years to be exact, same here mine since have all been second-hand.

There shouldn't be very much to do at all. She will likely feel woozy after the operation and want a quiet space, and you need to respect that. Don't go looking for her, giving unwanted cuddles or reassurance, and do not bring her food! Let her come and find her food and you when she feels ready. If you bring food and she smells it and is tempted before she feels hungry enough to go find it, chances are she will be sick. She may be sick after her first meal anyway but if she goes to it when she's hungry there is less chance of it. Give bland digestible food, a treat of some boiled chicken should go down well.

A lot depends on how they operate. Keyhole should be no problem. Stitches can be dissolvable or removable, either way she should be prevented from nibbling or pulling at them. The cone of shame will do that though you will feel so sorry for her ... and she may well remove it herself, they are incredibly clever and determined. Back in the day all spays except for Siamese coloured show cats were a flank incision, these days mid-line (on the belly) seems to be much more in favour. Not sure if there are any advantages to mid-line in terms of healing, other than the skin being nice and loose so that if stitches do come apart the wound shouldn't pull apart so easily.

We did have a 3 year old boy who decided to move in with us and had him neutered. He didn't care for all the sensible advice and got out at the first chance he had, in the first few hours. He was absolutely fine. And another one who had a lot of teeth extracted and was straight in her biscuit bowl crunching away the moment she got home.

Personally for my cats vet advice always has to be negotiable with the cat. If you are able to keep her in for a fortnight, great. All the best for Kitty's op. Just hope they don't open up and find she's already been spayed!!

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 12:45 pm
by GillZB21
Thanks so much for your reply - I had a call an hour ago - all went well and we can collect her at 5.30pm - she hasn't been spayed before and we had an option of cone or babygro!!! I decided on the babygro as she would have a cone off in minutes! So pleased all went well I was worried sick.
She's a cat who likes her own space and we leave her to it - she has her own room and the run of the the rest of the house - the only precaution I'm taking is to put a litter tray and food/water in her bedroom as well as the usual one downstairs in the porch - just in case stairs are an issue - she's a very fit active and generally healthy cat so hoping healing is quick.
Is boiled chicken breast ok for her to eat? Never fed any cats chicken - had an old tom Timmy in the 80s who loved boiled lambs liver!
Guess there's no one rule for cats - they are all so individual - just have to see how she gets on and try to stop her from escaping in novel ways - she got out of the tiniest crack in the bathroom window once - we left her snoring in her room and the next thing she was under the bonnet stealing tools while my boyfriend tried to fix the car! Couldn't believe she'd squeezed through the window and she got down I have no idea!
Amazing how empty the house feels without her- even though she's out a lot of the time at least I can feel she's near - wonder what we ever did without her ?!!

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 1:37 pm
by fjm
I seem to recall trying to keep Tilly quiet for a day or two, and in until I was sure she was not going to pull at the stitches - perhaps I used the big dog crate, but I really don't remember. Dogs are rather easier as you can keep them on a leash and manage them that way, but short of crating a cat there is not much you can do to keep them from jumping and climbing! A bedroom with the windows shut is your best bet, and airlock control at the door to ensure she cannot dash out, especially in the first post op euphoria. Pippin as a young cat had a massive op for a herniated diaphragm after a car accident - it was touch and go whether he would make it. An hour or so after he came home my elderly father was up a ladder stopping him jumping off the flat roof outside my bedroom window, while I was inelegantly clambering out to grab him... The peri-operative pain relief is quite something!

I am sure she would like poached chicken breast, or any boneless chicken meat.

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 2:07 pm
by Ruth B
Great to hear she has come through and will soon be ready to come home, it doesn't matter how well we know that the risks are minimal, we always worry when our loved ones are in theatre, human or animal.

Chicken breast is fine as a treat, cooked or raw. You do have to make sure there are no bones if you are cooking them, sometimes i find tiny pieces of bone on chicken breasts bought at the supermarket, they are so small I doubt they would do any harm, but I don't want to take the risk.Raw bones aren't a problem and some cats can really enjoy a chicken wing to crunch. In my house cooked chicken never goes to waste, all the fatty underside pieces get carefully stripped off the bones and I normally have at least one good home waiting while I'm doing it (or he is trying to swipe it off the side if i turn my back for half a second).

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 2:33 pm
by GillZB21
Oh Thankyou so much - yes we are so relieved she'll be home soon - onesie included!! My boyfriend gets prime quality chicken breast fillets which we just happen to have 2 defrosted for our tea tonight - well - Kitty"s tea now- had to laugh at your cat being ready to swipe the chicken - reminds me of my friend who has 13 cats (does voluntary work for a cat charity and fosters them but her husband wants to keep them all and she stopped a few years back when they got to 13!) I don't think I've ever seen such a clean healthy happy gang as hers - and her house is immaculate - apart from all the furniture and cat accessories you'd never think she had cats!! She has some great stories About them -once they formed a raiding party and one Sunday they stole not only the cooked chicken but stuffing, sausages, trifle - the lot! They even have their paws in her tubs of pick and mix - or pinch and nix as we say! I'm really missing her advice on Kitty but she's abroad minus phone, hubby and cat gang !

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 2:52 pm
by ThorpeDave
So good to see someone taking on a stray cat and loving them - and of course, doing the right thing by them too.

Boiled chicken breast if fine as a treat and of course NO cows milk as many cats cannot tolerate it.

try and stick to good quality wet complete cat food and always ensure clean fresh water is available.

we have 2 girls and 2 boys. The first young lady was already spayed and the second one is only nine weeks old so too young to be done yet.

best thing is to keep her quiet if possible for a couple of days. She will be a bit sore tomorrow once the pain killers fade.

As she is thin and been a stray use the care plan you have signed up to to get her wormed regularly. Use prescription medication from the vet rather than off the shelf stuff from supermarkets or pet stores.

enjoy your cat

Regards

Dave

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 3:22 pm
by GillZB21
Thankyou so much for your reply Dave - and good advice. We will try to keep her quiet - try being the operative word as she's into everything! I'm sure she still thinks she's a kitten! We did everything we could to find out if she had owners and we have no qualms whatsoever about our decision to have her spayed. A few cynical folk have said why pay all that money to get a cat spayed when she might go back to her owners - my answer to that is that I'd rather have spent the money and know she is safe from having unwanted kittens both for her sake and the poor kittens and even if someone else has the benefit of her company and I never see her again I still think I did the right thing for her. And that is worth more to me than any amount of money spent. It's just sad there are so many irresponsible owners who allow their cats to breed and dont care about the health of the cat or the kittens . We suspect that Kitty was a cute kitten for Xmas who was then abandoned when she wasn't a kitten anymore - when she first came to us she must have been about 9 months old and was so skinny it was pitiful - so of course we fed her and took her in...who wouldn't??? But we hope she stays with us and if she doesn't at least we've given her all the love we can.
And yeah Dave my friend warned me about cows milk years ago - I've tried Kitty with the milk you can get just fir cats in wilko but she doesn't like it - prefers to stick her head in my boyfriends wine glass and pinch the ice cubes!!!
Your 9 week old kitten sounds gorgeous - they're all adorable at that age - then grew up into adorable nightmares!!
The plan the vet has given us includes worming, flea treatment etc so it's just a case of doing what needs to be done when it's time - we just wanted her to be spayed asap as we suspected she may be in heat and didn't want to risk a pregnancy.
She'll be home in an hour - it's been a long day!!

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 3:53 pm
by ThorpeDave
Hi

I am one of those people - and you will find many here - who do't believe that you "own" a cat - they "own" you!

The first lady of my household, Mia was born to a feral mum and was rescued at 12 weeks old, neutered and cleaned up and placed with a couple together with all her brothers and sisters.

Sadly it did not work out and Mia strayed and lived rough fo 18 months before appearing in our garden, hungry and frightened.

she eventually moved in and it has taken us 2 years to turn her around to a loving playful pet. Her owner finally transferred ownership to us last year.

Hendrix - our first boy - was abandoned by his mum and was on his way to a lake when someone got hold of him, cleaned him up then brought him to us. He has grown from a feeble very sick kitten into a massive 11 month old! Sadly, his mum, brothers and sisters didn't survive much longer - wish we knew that they had not been "rescued" :(

Our two latest are just 9 weeks old and the fourth litter of a young lady who is only 2 years old herself. The owner of their mum could not afford to look after her properly and get her spayed but did the right thing by asking a rescue organisation to take her on.

There are many reasons why cats don't get the care they deserve and many fall on hard times. However, there are also many good people who work tirelessly to rescue as many as they can, do the right thing and find them new homes.

Enjoy your pussycat - I am sure she knows that she will be loved and cared for by you both.

Regards

Dave

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 6:46 pm
by GillZB21
What a sad and happy tales about your cats - and your perseverance with them is wonderful - I find it heartbreaking that it seems ok to most people to dismiss cats as "it's only a cat" - if dogs were treated as badly there'd be a huge outcry. I personally hate dogs - would never harm one but avoid them - yet when I've told people I did t like dogs they look st me like I'm a leper! Yet so few people admit to liking cats - that's why I'm so pleased to have found this forum . Kitty is home and totally disoriented, confused and wobbly - she's wanting a lot of love and reassurance but can't stop purring! The babugro to protect stitches is so uncomfortable and she's really unhappy it - but it's fir her own good - bless her it's so good to have her home and she's so so list and vulnerable all I want to do is cuddle her - but can't! Sadly there was a kitten in her womb - I thought she was pregnant - eating loads - but vet said it wouldn't have survived as she's so tiny it's unlikely she would carry it to term - I was really upset but then Kitty's health and safety come first - I'm hoping to post a pic of her in her babygro if my poor technological skills allow me to! I had a look at the YouTube vid of your 2 kittens and they are totally gorgeous and so lucky to have such a loving home with the other 2 😻

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 9:13 pm
by ThorpeDave
I used to have 2 Persians and an old English sheep dog - all came to me urgently needing new homes :(

Really sorry to hear about the lost kitten but is also sounds that your cat need a lot of love and care going forward. Just be patient and follow advise - she will get there and repay with lots of purrs and love.

Look forward to hearing how she gets on

Regards

Dave

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 9:36 pm
by GillZB21
Thanks Dave - all your rescues are lucky to have such a happy home with you and your family - it sounds like you have some real characters! Kitty is a very loving little thing considering what she's probably been through - I think she's been hit in the past with something as whenever I get the brush out to sweep the kitchen and hall she is terrified - breaks my heart to think of her being hurt - or any animal being hurt.
Right now she's fast asleep on the landing where the hot water pipe runs under boards - I won't get much sleep as I'll be listening out for her to make sure she's ok though all her needs are catered for and she can come and go in all rooms all the time.
I put a new post up with a pic of her onesie babygro - I think she's too poorly and exhausted to do anything about it but I bet she'll be trying to get out of it tomorrow! She keeps trying to wash herself and can't understand why she's getting a mouthful of material or where her fur has gone!! Bless her - so pleased she' chose us and we got her chipped today as well as chopped so we're truly hers 😻. Kindest regards - Gill

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 9:46 pm
by ThorpeDave
Mia is scared of the vacuum cleaner and Hendrix is afraid of hair dryers! - there is always something ;)

My first 2 have a lot of problems but the second 2 have had a good start in life despite their mum having a difficult one. Like humans, they all have their own characters, like, dislikes and fears

If you look after your cat and meet her needs she will be faithful. don't forget she owns you, not the other way round ;)

Take care

Dave

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Tue May 14, 2019 7:03 am
by GillZB21
Kitty is afraid of hairdryers and vacuums as well - think it's loud noises in general! It must be strange for your two older cats having kittens around - bet there's some interesting reactions!! My friend who had 13 cats (does voluntary work fir cat charity and fosters cats which her husband then wants to keep! Hence the 13!) has had some interesting experiences when taking kittens home to foster- her older cats are usually terrified by them!
Kitty is a lot brighter this morning - unlike me and my boyfriend- we had a sleepless night with her pacing the bedroom , jumping on the bed and walking on our heads to get attention! She's had her painkiller mixed with boiled chicken and kitten biscuits and I'm hoping she'll go to sleep and stop stop trying to get outside! At least me being between jobs means I can stay at home with her - so looks like a box set, lots of tea and a furry babygro sat on my lap all day!! She seems to be adapting to the babygro quite well - though she also hates it!!! I'm just waiting fir the Houdini routines to begin !

Kindest

Gill 😺

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Tue May 14, 2019 12:08 pm
by Ruth B
The Dreaded Dyson seems to be the bane of a lot of cats lives, most of mine take one look when i get it out and leave home.

Saturn was either born in a rescue or went to it with his Mum when he was very young, he isn't bothered by much. Freyja on the other hand was either badly treated, totally unsocialised or both before ending up in rescue at about 3 to 4 months old She was scared of everything when we got her, it was months before I could even reach out and fuss her. She is better now but she still has her moments. Feet are definitely one of her fears, I never have to fear her getting kicked and any type of cloth, if I move a towel or a t shirt she will take one look and be either off down stairs or under the bed. She isn't an easy cat to have around at times, but in general she is happy and that is what matters to me, and when she isn't feeling threatened she is a great character as well.

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Tue May 14, 2019 12:32 pm
by GillZB21
I don't know of any cats who like hoovers! Kitty likes feet - well she likes to bite them! I can't have a bath without her sitting at the end swiping at my toes under the water - and as for the floating rubber duck bath plug!!! Can't resist it even though she knows she'll get wet paws and whiskers!
She likes my boyfriends socks - enough to sleep in the dirty washing basket with them!
Cats are so funny - there's not a day goes by that she doesn't make me smile and I think how did I manage without her?!
I'm sorry to hear your cats have had such a cruel start but they're lucky to have a loving home - just wish all cats had the same as it's a cruel world.

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Tue May 14, 2019 12:42 pm
by ThorpeDave
GillZB21 wrote: ↑Tue May 14, 2019 12:32 pm there's not a day goes by that she doesn't make me smile and I think how did I manage without her?!
That is exactly why we all love cats here!

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Tue May 14, 2019 1:20 pm
by GillZB21
Really pleased I found this site - I love hearing other people's cat tales - the crazy funny things they do and say and are ....and I probably spend too much time on YouTube watching funny cat video compilations!! I have some funny videos of Kitty - one where she's watching me eat crisps and I offer her the pack she puts her paw into the pack of cheese curls , takes one out and eats it !! And another of her playing with the springy bangy noisy doorstop !! When I'm feeling low ( which being between jobs is occasionally!) I watch my funny videos of her - wish I could share them here but when I try to post it says file too big !

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Tue May 14, 2019 2:02 pm
by ThorpeDave
Not sure about cheese curles but worth having a good look at which human foods are NOT to be given to cats - same with plants in the garden.

some foods and plants are a definite NO NO and I have removed some plants as a result.

Regards

Dave

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Tue May 14, 2019 2:20 pm
by Mollycat
Bags. Plastic bags.

Molly is my nervous rescue girl, for the first 6 months I honestly believed she hated being touched. But really she's very loving, it just takes a LOT of patience and gentleness before she can trust someone enough to allow touch.

She is scared of plastic bags. They rustle.
She is scared of armfuls of washing, clean or dirty.
She is scared when people take coats or jumpers off, or move suddenly. Or just try to walk past her.
She is scared when I take the bin out and put a new liner in. That rustles a lot and is very dangerous.
She is scared of the vacuum, naturally. She is scared of people, dogs, new things, in fact she is scared of most things.
She needs to know what's in her home, so I leave the shopping bags and any parcels in the middle of the floor for her to inspect.

Molly likes yowling in the middle of the night.
She loves playing Whack-a-Molly with her wand toy. I have to try and hit her on the head with it as hard as I can, and she tries to catch it.
She loves to watch thunderstorms and fireworks through the window. She isn't scared of those.
Molly isn't scared of HER plastic bag, the one she chose and lies on and plays with and rustles.
Molly isn't scared of the washing machine.
Molly isn't scared when my mother blows the door off the oven because she didn't prick the whole aubergine when she put it in. That doesn't scare Molly, she watches as the other cat jumps out of his skin and bolts for the bedroom. He is the one who is so placid you can drill into the wall 3 feet above the basket where he is sleeping and he won't even twitch an ear. But he is scared when the oven goes boom. But Molly isn't. She thinks he is a loony and can't understand what he's running from.
Molly isn't scared when I get really annoyed with her incessant little squeaks for attention when I'm working, so I screw up a ball of paper and throw it at her. She just sits there and waits for it to hit her between the eyes. She looks reproachful at me and I feel guilty, then I laugh I love her so much, I love that this terrified little bundle trusts me not to hurt her when I throw things at her. And I'm not annoyed any more.

When Molly has to go to the vet hospital for 2 nights and days of tests, and then again for 2 weeks of treatment - and when I pick her up and she is so happy to see me and she purrs and purrs and pads and rubs all the way home in the car. And I leave the carrier out and she wanders in and out of it and she's not scared of it even though it took her to that awful place and she didn't know if she would ever see me again.

Molly is a very special little lady. I know they all are, but this one is just a little bit specially special.

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Tue May 14, 2019 3:01 pm
by GillZB21
That is an absolutely lovely piece of writing - I've even had a few tears as I understand what you mean that she trusts you so completely- yes these little and large furry enigmas put all their trust in us and sometimes something as simple as a little nose in your face when you're feeling down makes life worth living, I cried with laughter at the oven door incident - and the list of terrors!!
And after the trips we've had to the vet recently I know exactly what you mean - I was afraid Kitty would hate us fir taking her in that awful carrier to that awful vet place full of barking dogs - instead all she could do in her drug induced befuddled stupor was to purr like an industrial generator and try to rattle her tail like a rattlesnake to tell us she was happy to be home.
I really enjoyed hearing about your lovely cats and hope to hear more - and I had no idea you had to prick an aubergine!!!😹 What was your mam making to cook it whole? I'm fascinated because I love aubergines and all veg and have never considered baking it whole - though I have blown a couple of microwaves up not to mention about 10 or more toasters (I think toasters are allergic to me!)

Kindest

Gill

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Tue May 14, 2019 3:33 pm
by ThorpeDave
Hendrix is scare of absolutely nothing - nothing at all

Oh, except 2 tiny kittens ! go figure

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 11:22 am
by Lilith
GillZB21 wrote: ↑Mon May 13, 2019 6:46 pm I find it heartbreaking that it seems ok to most people to dismiss cats as "it's only a cat" - if dogs were treated as badly there'd be a huge outcry.
Hi Gill and so glad to read of Kitty's story - plenty of good advice and you're doing all the right things.

I TOTALLY agree with you. I once had a work colleague who, deliberately, told me a sick joke about a cat. I'm not good at talking to people but on this occasion I just looked at him and said, 'oh? Would you think that was so funny if it was about a puppy or a baby?' (He was a young father.)

He was FURIOUS.

GOOD :D

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 6:23 pm
by GillZB21
Thankyou for your reply Lilith - I'm so glad I'm not alone in some of my opinions - I just can't understand why some people think it's acceptable to dislike cats and be so vocal about it.
In my previous job I had to visit tenants and go into their homes and if I knocked and heard a dog bark I'd be away down the path and when I tried to explain it was because I was afraid of dogs and didn't want them jumping at me the universal reply was "oh he's ok he's just being friendly " - not much use to one one of my colleagues who was hospitalised after a dog attacked his face. Even when I asked politely if they could keep the animal in another room they looked at me like I was crazy, yet everyone's house I visited who had cats always asked "are you ok with cats?"
I find it a very dog orientated world which is fine if they clean up after them, don't assume everyone likes them and keep them quiet ! We have new neighbours who have apart from a howling 2 year old and a howling newborn a pug mongrel thing which they never walk - it messes in the garden and they leave it lying there for weeks and every day it is shut in the house and barks and howls incessantly- sometimes until after 11pm. I fail to see why they have it- What purpose does it serve? It's not a guard dog.
I was so naffed off with the barking and howling that the other day I put absolute rock on the kitchen radio, very loud - turned the speakers to the wall and went upstairs left it on fir an hour - i don't want to have to do that but what else can I do to get the message across as speaking to them was a waste of time. And poor Kitty is scared to death of the thing as it went for her under the fence when she was in our garden just playing. Time to get some serious fencing up I think!

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 8:10 pm
by Ruth B
I really feel for you with those neighbours. I'm really lucky with mine, yes one does have small dog, but as one of the humans is practically house bound it it acts a a great companion to them. They let it run around their garden several times a day and it has never got into mine (though sometimes my cats do sit on the fence or sheds and tease it they all wander all over their garden when the dog is inside and the neighbours have never said a word about it). The only time it yaps is when they all have to go out for some reason and leave it, normally only for a few hours, it obviously doesn't like being alone.

I don't mind dogs, but I firmly believe that all dogs should be well trained and well behaved, regardless of size and breed. I've known several really well behaved dogs, for some reason they seem to be either working dogs or ex working dogs. I hold a firm belief that there is really no such thing as a bad dog, just a lazy owner. That said, I also feel that cat owners should also try and make sure their cats cause as little nuisance as possible, which is why i always have a litter tray available and make sure at least part of my garden is suitable for them to use if they chose to go outside, I can't guarantee they won't go in other people's gardens, but at least I know I am making the effort.

Re: Hi I'm new - not very good at technology so apologies if I've posted posted in wrong place

Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 8:59 pm
by GillZB21
I totally agree about the working dogs Ruth - they have a purpose and are well behaved - and the only only nice dogs I've ever met we're collies and a beagle. I don't have a problem with well behaved dogs at all but the majority of owners just seem to turn a blind eye to barking, indiscriminate soiling and think if their dog jumps at you you should welcome it! Even in the vets this huge Alsatian came full pelt at me - I was attacked by one of these things when I was 5 and have never recovered- I was so terrified I just froze - the owner looked at me like I was something from the gutter and just tutted! Seriously - and I had a cat basket in my arms!! Do people have no respect?
It's pointless saying anything to these neighbours as they couldn't care less - they also have a cat which I feel sorry for as it spends most of its time meowing at the door of the neighbours on the other sides door which really pees him off - he's very house and garden proud and their cat digs up his borders! Their cat has even tried to get into our house knowing Kitty is here - I can't imagine it gets much affection as you never see them bother with it - poor thing. Our Kitty has an area in our garden for the loo too and a tray inside - and we - like you - try to minimise her as an annoyance to the neighbours. People are very selfish these days and as long as they're ok don't care about anyone else.