Pets- What have you got?

I love it when animals are named after other animals, especially totally unrelated ones, like cats called Spider. Luv iiit!

Yeah. Knew a horse called Spider once. Was cool.
Our cat (who is with the in-laws cos we moved out) is called Myrtle. She is amazing. Totally deranged.
NEVER speak to a bird in her presence or you will find it on the doorstep. You know how friendly robins can be and hang around for a chat and stuff? Well, all that was left of the first one was his little red breast on the mat. The one who took over the territory afterwards got pulled to bits at the end of the garden. All because we said they were sweet and said 'hello mr robin....blah blah.'
Scary creature.

I've convinced my mum to get a kitten xD hopefully we'll get one over the summer.. im not sure what kind to get yet.. exciting! =D

I've convinced my mum to get a kitten xD hopefully we'll get one over the summer.. im not sure what kind to get yet.. exciting! =D

Hey, yay for getting a kitten! 😀

I breed registered outcrosses with my maine coons (an outcross is an acceptable breeding between 2 types of pedigree in order to improve the gene pool in the target breed), and work as a veterinary scientist, so feel free to ask if you need any advice or pointers. 🙂 Whichever breed you go for, the main things to look for in a good breeder are -

- Kittens should NEVER leave their mothers before 12-13 weeks old. Taking kittens at 6-8 weeks often results in shy or nervous cats with behavioural problems as they haven't had time to learn normal cat behaviours from their mother yet. This rule applies regardless of whether the kittens are pedigrees, outcrosses or moggies.

- Kittens should have had their first vaccination at 9 weeks before leaving mum. The best and most commonly used vaccination is Nobivac Tricat + FeLV, which protects against the 3 main serious illnesses - feline rhinotricheitis, cat calcivirus and feline panleucopenia virus. They then need a 2nd shot at 13 weeks. They can also be microchipped from 9 weeks.

- Kittens should ideally come with a kitten pack, including a supply of the food and litter they are used to using. Most breeders also include 4 weeks free insurance with petplan in these packs.

- A good breeder will allow you to visit your kitten in the weeks beforehand so you can start bonding with your kitten and will be willing to answer any questions you may have, including showing you the correct techniques for grooming and nail clipping if needed.

My last litter (July 2010)

One of the girls aged 13 weeks just before going to her new home

My kitten packs

aw wow! thts really helpful actually thankyou =D i dont have a clue where to start, i shall message you nearer the time we get a kitten, i think mum wants to get one locally out of the paper or from a rescue shelter, so im guessing it'll work a lil differently?

aw wow! thts really helpful actually thankyou =D i dont have a clue where to start, i shall message you nearer the time we get a kitten, i think mum wants to get one locally out of the paper or from a rescue shelter, so im guessing it'll work a lil differently?

If you can get one from a shelter that would be brilliant as the kittens will be health checked, vaccinated, microchipped and neutered already, so all you have to do is take it home and love it 🙂

If you decide to buy from a moggie breeder, the same pointers still apply with regards to vaccinations and the age the kitten can leave it's mum, although it's less likely you'll get given a kitten pack and there's a slightly higher chance of getting a kitten with underlying health problems, as the parents wont have been tested for genetic illnesses like HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) before breeding. Also, never be tempted to take home the first kitten you see - visit a couple of breeders and make sure you see the kittens with their mum first. 🙂

I doubt we'll go to a breeder, i think my mum has her heart set on a shelter, but yeh thats good then, that all the vaccinations will be all done and health checked and that =) my main concern is with a new kitten or cat, is that i live near a main road, and unfortionatly we lost a kitten when he was about 1-2, because he managed to escape onto that road, My old cat Sparkle used to walk around the smaller roads and nip into other peoples gardens and always know to avoid that road, but i dont know how to teach my next cat how to avoid them, i want it to be able to explore, but still be safe, any suggestions?

I doubt we'll go to a breeder, i think my mum has her heart set on a shelter, but yeh thats good then, that all the vaccinations will be all done and health checked and that =) my main concern is with a new kitten or cat, is that i live near a main road, and unfortionatly we lost a kitten when he was about 1-2, because he managed to escape onto that road, My old cat Sparkle used to walk around the smaller roads and nip into other peoples gardens and always know to avoid that road, but i dont know how to teach my next cat how to avoid them, i want it to be able to explore, but still be safe, any suggestions?

Why not keep it as a house cat?

A lot of people still think its 'unnatural' or 'cruel' to keep cats indoors, but its really not at all - it's actually much better for them these days. The only reason the tradition of letting cats out to roam still sticks is because in days gone by people didn't value cats as pets - they were kept mainly for controlling mice and so were allowed to roam freely. But that was 100 years ago, when there were very few cars on the road. These days there are so many dangers to free roaming cats, as you (and I) have sadly experienced. Its not just the risk of being run over - they can also get attacked by dogs and sick yobbos who like to throw them off buildings or shoot them with airguns, get into fights and catch horrible diseases, get poisoned, trapped in garages and sheds, get stuck up trees, fall down sewers, go missing, get catnapped - I've seen it all I'm afraid.

I keep my 4 cats indoors as house cats and they are more than happy - even if I open the door to let them out they just sit and look at me as if to say 'You want me to go out there?! No chance!'. As long as you provide plenty of toys to keep them amused and daily love and playtime they will be just as happy (not to mention safer and healthier) than outdoor cats. Plus I have the added peace of mind of knowing exactly where they are, what they're up to and what they're eating at all times.

However, if you want to allow your cat some access to the outdoors without the risks of loosing them, you can either cat-proof your garden using cat fencing (have a look at http://www.purrfectfence.co.uk/ for ideas) - you can either buy it ready made from a company or do a DIY version with wood and sturdy wire, the idea is to create an overhang along the top of the fence (needs to be at least 8ft tall) to stop them climbing out, like this -

Or, how about an outdoor cat pen? Again this can be as simple or as elaborate as you have the space and money for. Many cat pens are build onto the side of the house so the cat can go in and out as they wish through a cat flap.

Here's a simple cat pen.

And how about this for the ultimate cat pen!?

haha oh WOW!! i think ill go for the ultimate cat pen! id love to live in that too tbh! xD haha, thankyou for your suggestions so far you've been really helpful =) i like the idea of a simple cat pen, but i wouldnt know where to build one, Also because i have chickens at home at the moment my mum has fenced off alot of the garden, so i might see if she wants to build some a little higher.. i like the idea of the cat going out in the garden to play in the sunshine, but not any further, and i agree with all the dangers out there. I heard that some chavs found a cat and threw it off a multistory car park near me, i dont know whether it lived or not =( also Sparkle got locked in a neighbours shed for 3 days, and we thought she had gone.

Another thing is, i have a dog, shes was okay with Sparkle but i dont know how she will react to a new cat. before my dog would follow sparkle around like she was the queen or something lol, and if my dog annoyed her or got too close then sparkle would put her in her place by swiping her nose lol was funny really, but still, any tips which i can use to make them at ease with eachother?

It's usually dogs that have a problem with cats rather than cats having problems with dogs - if your dog is already used to cats then it's unlikely you'll have any major problems introducing a new kitten, provided the dog isn't too over-exciteable. Kittens are very adaptable - they instinctively react with hissing and fluffing themselves up when faced with anything that could be a potential threat, so its likely that a new kitten will be a bit scatty when meeting your dog for the first time. 

The best thing to do is introduce them calmly, and give the kitten loads of positive reinforcement and fuss when meeting the dog so they feel reassured that the dog isn't a danger. Don't worry if the kitten takes a few swipes at the dog to start with - this helps them establish boundaries and will teach the dog to respect the cat when its telling her to back off. In a couple of days the kitten will learn the dog isn't a threat and will most likely start to form a bond with her, however it's important the kitten has a 'safe zone' it can go to in order to get away from the dog if it wants - a box, crate or bed somewhere quiet and out of the way is ideal. The dog should be taught that this is a 'no go' zone so the cat can have some private space to be by itself. You could also look at using Feliway - a synthetic hormone that replicates the phermones given off by cats when they're happy, it has a positive calming effect and is excellent for helping cats adjust to potentially stressful situations. You can get it from most large pet shops as either a spray which you put on the cats bedding, or a plug-in diffuser (like a plug-in air freshener).  🙂

OMG, that cat pen is amazing! I wish I had space for something similar for my chinchilla <3

I have 2 giant african land snails- Pablo and Sheldon. Here they are eating a cucumber together! They aren't quite fully grown so are not 'giant' yet- oh, and if you hadn't noticed, Pablo is an albino snail  ;D

I have two cats - Kes (the b+w one) and Mason.

They are indoor kitties but if I ever decide to move into the suberbs I'd defo get a cat pen

Thats a great idea about the feliway =) i shall def get one of them!

and those are AWESOME snails! xD

You have totally made me want Snails lol