GMballistic Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 I'm not going to let my Mrs see those Pete otherwise she'll want one. Very cute. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioneabee Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 conversly - I'm going to let my missus see those ........ 'cos I want one 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 A couple of photos. Today. The blue eyed kitten has already cost me over £100 pounds in vet fees . Here's why.... Yes, she fell off just a few seconds after I took this photo last week, first onto the window ledge then onto the floor hurting one of her paws and introducing an infection...but she's O.K now, full of beans again . Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Glad she's ok now Pete. Cats will be Cats though I guess. I've heard they like being up high so they can survey their territory. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 That's enough cute kittens time for some ageing overweight specimens (all three of us) Molly on the left is about 14. She is Sonny's mum. He's about 12. We inherited them from the people who lived here before us and have come to love em both dearly. They don't really get on and usually have a minor scrap at about 6 o'clock every evening for some reason. I'm especially fond of Sonny, as he's very dog like, affectionate and a bit daft. Both are currently on strict diets at the direction of the vet. Sonny has already lost half a kilo. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 They look awesome, proper characters! Also, I think we own the same t-shirt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 That's a good way of putting it . They've become a big part of our lives, even though we got them completely by chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Great cats Sipar. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 I've heard they like being up high so they can survey their territory. Yes, difficult to see that much when your eyes are 6 inches off the floor . Pete 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 O.K, an update. Mum fed them outside of the nesting box yesterday and they've started to explore their surroundings. Luckily we kept the baby pen we bought for our granddaughter so they can't get too far They're starting to look like kittens now rather than furry worms . We believe that our brown bengal is also pregnant, expecting kittens from her in about a months time. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebedy Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Pet - Iguana Name Iggy Age 9 months length - approx 2ft length fully grown 4-6ft eeek !! name - lola age 4 breed - Weimaraner name - O-Zee (ozzy) see what I did ??!! Age 10 months Weight - 10st Weight fully grown (who knows, but his dad is 15st. Breed - Dogue de Bordaux 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Help Required to make a final decision. I love cats and have been mulling over getting one or two for about 15 years now !!! Consideration for 2 would be to keep each other company and so would obtain the 2 together to ensure they got on I have previoulsy being put off by - my becoming very allergic to them, but have since worked out as long as I spend time with animals reguarly then the allergies disappear. Slight issues return if I have a 3 week break from being with animals but resolves itself quickly. Then I considered I could not really afford one let alone two. Finances are much better now, especially aided signigficantly by packing up smoking some 3 years ago. I have worked out crudely what I believe the costs of cat ownership are - after the initial expense, being mainly food, possibly litter (dependant on indoor/outdoor cat/s) and Insurance. I live alone and work full time - out from 8.30 - 6pm usually, spend one weekday evening a fortnight away, then during summer months - either out one day over the weekend and sometimes for all whole weekend (Fri - Sunday) this being almost fortnightly for 2 months, then one in three. I have previoulsy owned Siamese Seal Points and would go for either Pedigree or Heinz - shorter hair and minimal malting being the key. More recently I have found myself scouring papers and the Internet for Cats, so I am thinking its time I made a decision on this. My Questions are - What are people actually paying for their Cat Insurance and do they believe the upkeep costs are of cat ownership ? Is it unfair to own a cat/s in my situation ? My neighbours have offered to look after them - feed them when/if I am away. They do own a cat themselves. Any particular views and considerations I have missed too please Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 (edited) Without wanting to come across as preaching, if at all possible try and get your cats from a rescue centre. There are so many unwanted cats in need of a loving home. Can't say what it costs overall but we pay £50 per month to insure two cats. However, that is for very comprehensive cover due to the age of our cats. I'm sure it doesn't have to be that expensive. In my experience, cats are fine being on their own in the day but it would be good to have two so they can have some interaction when you're not around. If we go away for one night we just leave them enough food and water - never any problems. Any more than that and we pay a trusted local lady who works for an animal charity to come in and feed them (along with our four rescue bunnies) So long as you're sure you can afford to feed them, look after them if they get ill, and make sure they are properly taken care of when you are away, I don't think it's selfish to own cats in your circumstances at all. Might be a good idea not to go away until they're properly settled in. Edited June 16, 2015 by sipar69 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 (edited) If possible get 2 from the same litter or at least kittens of a very similar age, they'll settle down very quickly. You can find adult pedigree cats for sale on the internet but these are usually 2 or 3 year olds that have just come out of a breeding program and will have spent most of their lives cooped up in a cattery and may have trouble in adapting to a new owner. Do some research on what type of cat would be suitable for you, we discounted a few breeds before we settled on Bengals, Cat rescue centres are usually good places to get hold of moggie kittens but rarely have pedigrees. Most will vaccinate the kittens twice and pay for neutering, our local centre, a very busy one, charges an £80 adoption fee. I don't have cat insurance would cost me well over £150 a month but over the 35 years I've lived here I've only had one major £400 vet bill (broken leg) and maybe 20 to 25 around the £100. Keep in mind that most trips to the vet for simple problems, such as runny poo, poor appetite will usually be sorted out in a couple of trips that'll set you back £70 or so and the excess on the policy may well be greater than that in any case. I also believe that once a cat reaches old age there is little point in spending hundreds of pounds to extend its life if it has a terminal illness. This is where you can rack up huge vet bills in a very short time. Cats are usually healthy and most of ours have lived to at least 15, one lived to 20! I would never leave my cats without making sure that someone reliable was on hand to feed them, there are cat sitting services that you'll probably find in your area but I would rather pay someone I know. Pete Edited June 16, 2015 by JetSet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 (edited) One other thing I forgot to mention. From experience, if you get 2 kittens/cats then don't get 2 males . Unless you are very lucky they will fall out fairly frequently even when neutered. This is especially important for male cats that stay in the house all the time, after they reach maturity they will start marking their territory by spraying their favorite spots . Not too bad if they have access to the outside where they can usually find a private spot and conflict is usually limited to the odd hiss and snarl. We have 3 male cats (2 neutered) that come and go as they please. They do have the odd skirmish but the biggest problem will be with other males in the local area, this will involve ripped ears, scarred faces and visits to the vet. We're lucky here that no one within half a mile has a cat and the only feral we ever see is scared to death of our big ginger tabby Pete Edited June 17, 2015 by JetSet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voodoo Vix Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 I don't think its particularly unfair in your circumstances to have cats. Lots of people leave their cats overnight without any problems, particularly if they are very independent ones. One of mine would tear the house apart and the other would cry all night if they were left so they never are (I would be too stressed out too, I hate them being on their own), but then I have people who can just come and stay at the house for a night if needed. They are on their own while we are at work (8-7) and that to me is more than enough (again my opinion, it does entirely depend on the cat) as they need lots of interaction (even the older one). If they are left alone make sure they have plenty to do e.g. toys, things to climb on etc. one of ours just sleeps but the other one can be a nightmare when she's bored! Be careful with insurance and do lots of research, our younger one who is almost 5 is only about £7 a month with a low excess. However the older one (just turned 12) is £25 a month with an excess of £125 plus 20% per condition/claim, which will only get higher as he ages, but this is for a lifetime policy. We spend about £20 a week on wet food (they also have raw meat from when we're doing our own meals) and their dry food is usually every few months as they take ages to get through it. Bear in mind that any health problems could mean them being put on special diets which can be costly, but bulk buying can sometimes make this easier. Litter too can be bought in bulk to make it more cost-effective (only one of ours generally uses a tray anyway, the other one prefers the garden lol). Generally the costs of keeping a cat aren't too bad, the worst bit is the unexpected vet bills, which if they are wanderers will be more likely, my older boy, Timmy, lost a leg by getting into another garden and getting attacked by a dog, thankfully this was before I adopted him, I can only imagine the vet bills on that one! My old cat managed to get his tail run over twice (two separate occasions - who says cats are intelligent!!), this was then removed and my parents didn't have insurance for him so they had to pay the lot. I would second what has been said above about adopting rescues, both of ours are and rescue centres would always be my first port of call when considering a new addition. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Thanks everyone for the thoughts, views and experiences. Do people have preference to male or female cats and why ? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioneabee Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 why you should get a 2nd cat 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Do people have preference to male or female cats and why ? Thanks Most of my cats have been females. They tend to be more gentle, more people friendly and less aggressive than males. Of course there are exceptions to this, we once had a male cat that was as soft as a brush, never left the garden and was no trouble at all. One drawback of females is that they are better hunters than males and like bringing in dead or sometimes alive rodents as presents (males usually eat what they catch). Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioneabee Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 our queen couldn't catch a barn door if it hit her in the face - the tom though, is very active on that front 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Cat insurance I've never bothered with. I'm sure it'll catch me out at some point, but I figure that as mine are house cats then they're a bit less likely to get run over. In general, female cats are supposed to be more friendly than male ones. Every cat I've ever encountered is the opposite of this rule, so make of that what you will. Personally, I think it's more down to how they're brought up than their sex. I would never get a solo cat, only ever two or more. Company is everything, despite cats actually being loners out in the wild. Feral cats may be okay with that, I'd suggest that domestic cats aren't. There's a theory that domestic cats never actually leave the kitten stage of mentality, and my experience would back that up. Whatever you think cats cost these days, double it. They're frightfully expensive buggers, especially when they get older and only eat posh food. My eldest two only eat cat food that's £6 for 8 tins, and at two tins a day each... Yup, over £1K a year just on food. Add in litter at £5 a bag which lasts a fortnight, £75 in injections & treatments, god knows how much on kitty treats and toys, and they're a little bit pricey. Absolutely worth every penny, and I know you said that money isn't an issue for this right now but you could hopefully have 20 years of those costs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Whatever you think cats cost these days, double it. They're frightfully expensive buggers, especially when they get older and only eat posh food. My eldest two only eat cat food that's £6 for 8 tins, and at two tins a day each... Yup, over £1K a year just on food. Add in litter at £5 a bag which lasts a fortnight, £75 in injections & treatments, god knows how much on kitty treats and toys, and they're a little bit pricey. Absolutely worth every penny, and I know you said that money isn't an issue for this right now but you could hopefully have 20 years of those costs. Mine eat a tin a day each. They'll eat pretty much any brand providing that you rotate brands every couple of days, right now there's a special offer on Whiskas at ASDA , £2.50 for 6 tins, but they'll eat Tiger, Butchers, Kit E Kat. They also go through 2 big bags of Solid cat food a week between them plus a couple of packets of Turkey or Chicken trimmings which Tesco sell for a couple of quid. Of course, our cats supplement what we give them with what they catch, rabbits, mice and voles generally. A bag of cat litter lasts us almost 3 months as they only use the litter tray if it's absolutely belting down with rain and even then they usually prefer to go outside. All in all a couple of grand a year I reckon. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 our queen couldn't catch a barn door if it hit her in the face - the tom though, is very active on that front Yes, our 2 older female cats stopped hunting a couple of years ago they just prefer sleeping these days. Our other female cats though are wreaking havoc among the rodent population, it may be that females like their larger cousins hunt out of pure instinct, especially if they have kittens to bring up. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voodoo Vix Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Do people have preference to male or female cats and why ? Thanks Most of my cats have been females. They tend to be more gentle, more people friendly and less aggressive than males. Of course there are exceptions to this, we once had a male cat that was as soft as a brush, never left the garden and was no trouble at all. One drawback of females is that they are better hunters than males and like bringing in dead or sometimes alive rodents as presents (males usually eat what they catch). Pete We definitely have the exceptions, our female (the younger one) is a psycho and very feisty, and the male is terrified of everything lol She certainly is the hunter though, she brings in all sorts dead and alive. I have only ever known the male to kill one thing and that was because he was covered in blood and had some "remains" in his fur, I paniked thinking it was his at first, but it wasn't and no one has seen the mouse that lived around the compost since then so we assume it was him that got caught lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevoD Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Cat insurance I've never bothered with. I'm sure it'll catch me out at some point, but I figure that as mine are house cats then they're a bit less likely to get run over. In general, female cats are supposed to be more friendly than male ones. Every cat I've ever encountered is the opposite of this rule, so make of that what you will. Personally, I think it's more down to how they're brought up than their sex. I would never get a solo cat, only ever two or more. Company is everything, despite cats actually being loners out in the wild. Feral cats may be okay with that, I'd suggest that domestic cats aren't. There's a theory that domestic cats never actually leave the kitten stage of mentality, and my experience would back that up. Whatever you think cats cost these days, double it. They're frightfully expensive buggers, especially when they get older and only eat posh food. My eldest two only eat cat food that's £6 for 8 tins, and at two tins a day each... Yup, over £1K a year just on food. Add in litter at £5 a bag which lasts a fortnight, £75 in injections & treatments, god knows how much on kitty treats and toys, and they're a little bit pricey. Absolutely worth every penny, and I know you said that money isn't an issue for this right now but you could hopefully have 20 years of those costs. #teamM&S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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