Thought I Should Probably Introduce Myself...

[MysticalVamp]

So I've only had one post on here so far and I think it went down the wrong way. I thought I should probably introduce myself properly.

My name is Alishia, I am a young woman living in the UK.
I own a fair amount of pets: 17 reptiles(snakes & geckos), 2 tropical fish tanks and then my 2 cats.

Both my cats are male, they are both still pretty young compared to some cats I have read about on here while browsing.

They are both neutered, chipped and vaccinated.
OK, now here's some info on them both and some photo's. Taken today lol.

Sox.
Sox is my 6 year old tuxedo rescue kitty from Cats Protection League. I got him as a kitten where he was found under a bush with his litter mates and mother. They were all underweight and underdeveloped for their age but they came around once in foster. Sox is half deaf, he drools a lot as his mouth doesn't close properly and he's not all there in the head but he is my baby and always will be. He's a true mummy's boy and I suspect always will be.

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Tiger.
Tiger is my soon-to-be 3 year old Tabby moggy. He was a Christmas gift, I know how much hate that will get but let me explain. He was a wanted Christmas gift. I knew I was getting him, I knew about him. So I could prepare and I prepared lol. I know where he came from too. My cousin's friend had a female cat that got out, got pregnant and had 5 kittens. Four of them were black and white and one was tabby. The daughter wanted to keep the tabby originally so I picked a black & white one, named it Boots(because I already had Sox) lol. But then I got a message from my cousin, with a photo of this tiny tabby cat. It said "The little girl has decided she doesn't want to keep this one any more because it made her sad that you couldn't have him. So she said you can take him because she knows you'll love him for her."- I was extremely happy about this. And that's how I got Tiger. And boy has he lived up to his name! He's a terror, a true terror. It might be hard to believe but he's defiant! He is a stubborn cat! Anyway, photo's of him!

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It's no wonder my nice cream bedding ends up hairy with these two! Guess that's what I get for thinking I can have nice things with two cats running loose!
*Excuse the purple pillow, I'm 18 and already have a bad neck that needs extra support*

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Anyway, my other topic was about a little foster girl called Lily that I have at the moment. She's come along well since I posted that topic and is now allowing short fusses and she purrs too! She still absolutely loves Tiger and her and Sox are a little bit better but I doubt they'd ever be best buds lol. I'm hoping if she carries on improving like this she can find her forever home soon!

[Lilith]

Hey. No-one's going to give you hate on here

Love the photos of your cats - especially the tabby with his long arms outstretched.

And snakes too? Love snakes - got 14 myself!

[greenkitty]

Hi and welcome, your boys are beautiful.. I hope you don't mind me mentioning but you should consider changing your collars to safety release collars (Kitty Collars do a good range), that way if they get caught they be able get away.

[nannymcfee]

Welcome aboard ! I am an old woman living in West Yorkshire with 2 cats as recently one died very suddenly :0( although daughters 2 are here this weekend as she is away so its bedlam, trying to get on sofa first .

Also have fish and a chinchilla, but son always wanted a gecko, ( had to make do with newts in pond, all named Jimmy ! )

I too was going to mention the collars, hope you don't mind.

Where abouts in UK are you?

[Crewella]

Hello and welcome. Beautiful cats, I love that first pic.

I have three cats of my own, all rescues, and two that are permanent foster cats, both older and with medical issues, so to all intents and purposes I have a gang of five. I also have two temporary foster cats, one in an outdoor pen and one in the spare room.

I'm glad your foster girl is settling in, it takes time but you'll get there.

[MysticalVamp]

@Lilith: He loves stretching out like that, we have a ledge in the living room that goes along and around two walls so he likes to lay stretched out on there lol. I have 7 snakes myself(5 corns, a yellow rat and a hognose) and 10 leopard geckos(plus 6-8 eggs, would have to check that as I'm unsure right now).

@Greenkitty: When these two were going outside they had safety release collars and we found they were losing them(/having them stolen, this we witnessed once!) very frequently. However, now they are indoor cats and there is nothing that they can get caught on and not get back off in the flat

When I say we witnessed their collars being stolen I mean full on witnessed it. My old bedroom at my mums house(where we were living before) was high enough to see into the gardens of people behind ours(terraced houses, garden to garden along the streets). And it might seem nosey but I was watching once as the family directly across from us used an empty washing basket to trap Tiger, take his collar off and then release him!! They did the same for Sox too. So both cats came back without collars that day which meant staying inside till I got new ones on them(which was only a few days).

@nannymcfee: I used to keep newts myself, in side in a tank though lol.

Same as above regarding the safety collars.

I'm in South Yorkshire actually, Sheffield lol.

@Crewella: Aww bless, I have another potential foster cat, if I can find room for a second crate(if not he'll have to go elsewhere unfortunately), who may end up becoming a permanent resident(just have to work on the OH!) lol. He's a stray outside who I have been feeding(as per the rescue we're working with to trap and neuter) and he's got to the point where he eats out of my hands now. I've formed a bond with him even if he hasn't with me. So hoping if he gets on with my boys that once he's neutered and everything he can come live here with me permanently Though like I say, need to work on the OH as he's not too keen on a third cat because it takes up his precious Ragdoll room(he wants two ragdolls in future but doesn't want to go over 4 cats!) lol.

[Walesgang]

Hello and welcome!

What beautiful cats you have and well done on the fostering.

Can I just add one more comment about the collar. It doesn't really matter that your kitties are indoor only. They can still get their collars caught on something - cats do tend to climb and squeeze into tight spaces! Non safety collars are really not a good idea for them. If they are indoor only then they are better off without collars or with safety collars.

Hope to hear more about your furries

[MysticalVamp]

Hello and welcome!

What beautiful cats you have and well done on the fostering.

Can I just add one more comment about the collar. It doesn't really matter that your kitties are indoor only. They can still get their collars caught on something - cats do tend to climb and squeeze into tight spaces! Non safety collars are really not a good idea for them. If they are indoor only then they are better off without collars or with safety collars.

Hope to hear more about your furries

Thank you!

I do like the safety clasp collars because they offer that extra safety(even if the chance of anything happening is low), however after their last ones were stolen(which were Kitty Collar personalised ones so not exactly cheap at £10 each) I bought these collars and kept them indoors to prevent it happening again as we had lost 5 collars on Tiger and 3 on Sox either due to them snapping open or being stolen.

I have been looking at the Kitty Collars ones again and, at this point in time, they are a little out of my price range. I don't particularly like having my cats without collars just in case they do somehow get out of my flat and then out of the main community door at the bottom of the stairs. As low as the chances are, it is possible if someone was to be careless.

I do know I can get some cheap ones for now with ID tags or ID barrels in case the above happens, just in case someone who cannot scan them finds them.

[Cussypat1974]

Nice to meet you!
I am Irish, living in county Meath. I have a small sanctuary with 32 cats, 4 dogs, 3 snakes, four ex battery hens and an evil rooster who was gonna be PTS for attacking children. He now attacks me instead but I can fend him off with my trusty snow shovel most of the time!

Your cats are beautiful! And Tiger looks like a real rascal..... King of the castle!

I hope you don't mind if I add my tuppence worth to the collar issue. I had a non-safety release one on Rocket Dog (now RIP) when she was indoor only (before we moved to the countryside). One day I came home to find her in an awful tangle. She had one of their arms out through the collar, which was trapped around her neck and under her armpit. This can leave absolutely horrific injuries which NEVER heal, due to where they are. A friend who runs a larger cat sanctuary has one who was found like that, and years on, the would is still open despite all attempts by vets. The cat is loving and coping well with it, but it is a constant battle to prevent infection and maggot infestation. Wounds there just don't heal we'll because of constant friction and lack of air. Rockt Dog got lucky, but if one of your guys DID manage to get outside, and get lost, they could either end up with a similar injury or hang themselves from a branch and take hours to die horribly. Hope you take that as it is intended..... A word of genuine advice! I thought Rocket Dog was fine with her pretty orange collar (suited her as she was tortie) 'till I found her in such a pickle! She was lucky it didn't happen overnight and I would never have forgiven myself.

That is utterly CRAZY about your neighbour's stealing cat collars!!!!!! Is there some sort of black Marley I was unaware of? Lol

[bobbys girl]

Hello and welcome to CC.

On the collar theme, Three of mine have never worn collars, Purdy and Grace used to wear collars with bells to warn the birds. Grace was ALWAYS losing her's (I still fine them in the wood from time to time). One day Purdy came in with one of her front legs through the collar - even though it was a 'quick-release' one! She was well and truly stuck. I took it off and they have never worn one since.

I figure, as we live in the country, the cats don't roam far and all the (few) neighbours know them, there is no point and I don't want to take any risks of a repeat performance from Purdy. The birds will just have to be more careful.

Lots of fusses to your lovely boys.

Sue

[MysticalVamp]

Nice to meet you!
I am Irish, living in county Meath. I have a small sanctuary with 32 cats, 4 dogs, 3 snakes, four ex battery hens and an evil rooster who was gonna be PTS for attacking children. He now attacks me instead but I can fend him off with my trusty snow shovel most of the time!

Your cats are beautiful! And Tiger looks like a real rascal..... King of the castle!

I hope you don't mind if I add my tuppence worth to the collar issue. I had a non-safety release one on Rocket Dog (now RIP) when she was indoor only (before we moved to the countryside). One day I came home to find her in an awful tangle. She had one of their arms out through the collar, which was trapped around her neck and under her armpit. This can leave absolutely horrific injuries which NEVER heal, due to where they are. A friend who runs a larger cat sanctuary has one who was found like that, and years on, the would is still open despite all attempts by vets. The cat is loving and coping well with it, but it is a constant battle to prevent infection and maggot infestation. Wounds there just don't heal we'll because of constant friction and lack of air. Rockt Dog got lucky, but if one of your guys DID manage to get outside, and get lost, they could either end up with a similar injury or hang themselves from a branch and take hours to die horribly. Hope you take that as it is intended..... A word of genuine advice! I thought Rocket Dog was fine with her pretty orange collar (suited her as she was tortie) 'till I found her in such a pickle! She was lucky it didn't happen overnight and I would never have forgiven myself.

That is utterly CRAZY about your neighbour's stealing cat collars!!!!!! Is there some sort of black Marley I was unaware of? Lol

Thank you!! Tiger thinks he's king of the castle, he really does lol.

Hello and welcome to CC.

On the collar theme, Three of mine have never worn collars, Purdy and Grace used to wear collars with bells to warn the birds. Grace was ALWAYS losing her's (I still fine them in the wood from time to time). One day Purdy came in with one of her front legs through the collar - even though it was a 'quick-release' one! She was well and truly stuck. I took it off and they have never worn one since.

I figure, as we live in the country, the cats don't roam far and all the (few) neighbours know them, there is no point and I don't want to take any risks of a repeat performance from Purdy. The birds will just have to be more careful.

Lots of fusses to your lovely boys.

Sue

Thank you for the warning. I did go out and get some safety release ones for both my boys and both the fosters(one currently here, one planned) I will have so all four cats will be on safety release. I checked them, they release quickly but aren't so loose that they will fall off
Tiger and Sox also have tags with their name and my phone number on as well as both being chipped to me.

Here's some photo's of them all sporting their lovely safety release collars(minus the foster who isn't here yet).

Sox.

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Tiger.

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Lily.

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Lily is coming along brilliantly as you can see! From a scared little kitten(she is only 11 months old at most) to this beautiful fuss pot who's almost ready for her forever home now

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I also got Sox's birth year wrong!! I know! How could I?!
He's 7 years old not 6, he was born in May 2008.

[bobbys girl]

Ooh another Orchid fan!

We had a young black cat we called Lily! She turned up, out of the blue, one February, a couple of months before we found Bobby. She took to him straight away and brought him up as her own. We thought they would be together forever. But the following February - she vanished. If it wasn't for her, Bob would probably have not survived. She was our 'Angel Cat'. Still miss her.

[MysticalVamp]

Ooh another Orchid fan!

We had a young black cat we called Lily! She turned up, out of the blue, one February, a couple of months before we found Bobby. She took to him straight away and brought him up as her own. We thought they would be together forever. But the following February - she vanished. If it wasn't for her, Bob would probably have not survived. She was our 'Angel Cat'. Still miss her.

Haha, I love Orchids but knowing their difficult care requirements I could never bring myself to buy one. But my fiancé bought me the one in my profile picture for our 3 year anniversary this year Now I just have to keep it alive lol.

Aww bless!! I guess that's where Sox and his siblings were lucky as they were found and caught with their mum.
Shame she disappeared off again but I guess what happens, happens.

[bobbys girl]

I love Orchids but knowing their difficult care requirements I could never bring myself to buy one.

That's what I always thought. But I gave in and bought 4 different ones last Christmas. They are flowering again - even better than before. If you like I can send you a PM and tell you how I did it. I won't bore anyone else - this IS a site for cats after all!

[MysticalVamp]

I love Orchids but knowing their difficult care requirements I could never bring myself to buy one.

That's what I always thought. But I gave in and bought 4 different ones last Christmas. They are flowering again - even better than before. If you like I can send you a PM and tell you how I did it. I won't bore anyone else - this IS a site for cats after all!

Oh please do! I'm so terrified of killing it lol. I have seen a few more I like but only if I can keep this one alive first haha!

[bobbys girl]

Hope you got the Email OK. Here are the pictures I couldn't send.

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