Author |
Message |
Watching2
Member
07-07-2001
| Thursday, March 22, 2007 - 10:27 pm
OG - I have heard the same thing about Siamese cats. Not only are they "needy people cats" they are also more "dog like." Mine have always met people at the door to see who's there, right along with the dog. My vet breeds and shows Siamese and Abysinians. She has cats who live at home and cats who live strictly at the vet hospital and some she switches back and forth. The Abys are also very people orientated and "in your face" cats. She also doesn't let her kittens go until at least 12 wks. Years ago I found an article she had written about the subject years back which I think was printed in "Cat Fancy." I think some of Misha's problems are she left her mother/litter too young. I talked to the woman the next day and she said she'd take her back if I thought she needed it, but all of her litter mates had been picked up so I just kept her.
|
Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Friday, March 23, 2007 - 7:47 am
I think Siamese are the closest thing to a dog that doesn't bark. With Ophie, 'needy' is putting it rather mildly. Maybe needy and clingy would be a better discription...but we love it.
|
Watching2
Member
07-07-2001
| Friday, March 23, 2007 - 5:26 pm
OG - I think once you have a Siamese and LIKE how they are, it's really hard to go back to a different breed (mix) which can be indifferent to their humans. I know after Jade died, I was beside myself. When I brought Misha in for her first visit with our vet (she started her own "cats only" practice years ago,) I told her I really did look at cats which needed adopting, but for one, their fur really bothered me and 2. a house just isn't the same w/o a Siamese in it once you've had one. She totally agreed as I would expect, since she raises them. LOL
|
Cdbga
Member
10-04-2004
| Saturday, March 24, 2007 - 3:46 am
Update on the Menu Foods Recall: Rat poison was found in the pet food. Menu Foods has extended the recall to include all 95 brands of the "cuts and gravy" style food, regardless of when they were produced (although the list on their site still has manufacture dates on it).
|
Hypermom
Member
08-13-2001
| Saturday, March 24, 2007 - 12:03 pm
I pitched every can of Science Diet kitten food that I had for Elsa. I'm not taking any chances. She's not happy about eating her dry food, but she'll survive. lol

|
Hypermom
Member
08-13-2001
| Saturday, March 24, 2007 - 12:04 pm
"I know those cans of food are somewhere."

|
Rosie
Member
11-12-2003
| Saturday, March 24, 2007 - 12:26 pm
Poor Elsa. My cat has only eaten Iams since I brought her home from the shelter but I have switched to Fancy Feast. She is not crazy about the change. She has dry food available all of the time but she does enjoy some canned food in the evening.
|
Cdbga
Member
10-04-2004
| Saturday, March 24, 2007 - 8:08 pm
Awwww poor Elsa! The vet put Whitney (my doggy) on a dry food only diet in January. I had been feeding the Nutro Natural Choice before that...which is on the recall list. The pouches I still have were manufactured just before the dates of those in the original recall. I planned to throw them out, but since the recall was extended, it looks like I can return them to PetSmart. When I put Whit on dry food, I also put the cat on dry food to try to avoid some jealousy issues! I was so happy about all that when the recall news broke. I just...you know, if the vet hadn't put her on the diet...well, I don't want to think about what could have happened! My Naiya loves the Fancy Feast -- the new Elegant Medley's varieties. We tried quite a few wet foods prior to that. She's a pretty picky cat, apparently. The cool thing is that since the Elegant Medley's are rather new, you can find trial packs with 2 cans for the price of 1. I am so fully stocked on that right now! Naiya also seems to love her dry food, too, though. I have her on the Purina One Natural Blends. They do this 30-day Challenge thing...if you register for it, they send you a coupon for a free bag. And I do love my freebies!
|
Goddessatlaw
Member
07-19-2002
| Sunday, March 25, 2007 - 5:08 pm
I got bored doing spring cleaning today so I decided how better to perk things up around here than to give the cats a bath? Neither of them have ever had a bath, and I've never given a cat a bath, something fun for everyone. Heh. Some day I will be forgiven and the scars hopefully will fade with time. In the meantime, Puss and Max are plotting either my comeuppance or their escape, whichever works. They're both staring at me as if waiting for me to fall asleep ROFL. They actually took it much better than I thought they would. Max went in the big tub-sink first, half filled with luke-warm water and with a handy sprayer. Getting him in the sink was a bigger chore than washing him - he had a paw on each corner and he stayed splayed out while I repeatedly picked him up and tried to put him in from different angles. Once he was in the tub he took a few stabs at getting away, but I got him all rinsed and then wrapped him up in a towel and rubbed him down a bit. I let him "escape" and sure enough, he jumped right down on the floor beside me and started grooming his fur without any further fuss. Puss watched on with horror. After it was over, though, he couldn't help but go up and sniff out Max to see why he all of a sudden looked a greasy ten pounds lighter. I thought that was my chance to grab Puss, but he was totally on to me and ran for the hills. At the same time Colossus ran outside because he didn't want ANYTHING to do with bathing a fully-clawed kitty. I cornered Puss in the upstairs bedroom, he curled up in my arms and buried his head in my elbow (basically it was a please no, Mommy, moment). It wasn't so much that I'm cold-hearted than that Max was downstairs needing someone with whom to share the humiliation and Puss was the one who really needed a bath after playing in mudpuddles all week. I have to say Puss took it like a champ once he was hip-deep in water. He got a much longer bath than Max, and I used the sprayer quite a bit so I didn't have to try to put his front paws down into the water. You'd think that would have freaked him out, but it didn't, he adopted a "this too shall pass" stance, essentially went limp and let me wash him all I wanted. I figured he might do this - he is extremely passive at the vet. Both boys spent the afernoon grooming their wet fur, with some help from Colossus who repeatedly brushed them (sure, he shows up after the bloodshed). I could knit a sweater out of all the fur that came off the boys. Having been through it now, and none of us being much worse for the wear, I have to say I'll probably do it again if they need it - the boys are mighty pleased with themselves. They're all dried, fluffy and clean, prancing around all stiff-tailed and pussiefied. Puss' fur is so silky he actually looks like the little kitten that showed up rolling around on our sidewalk all those years ago. Washing them also helped loosen up all that shedding fur, which is a big bonus with these two. They both have very thick coats. I didn't have any cat shampoo, I just used water for their trial run. Next time I'll try a cat shampoo and see how that flies. I'd certainly be open to suggestions. For any of you who haven't tried washing your kitty because, well, kitties do a great job of taking care of themselves, you shouldn't be afraid to give it a shot. Puss and Max were unfazed (afterward) and very entertained all afternoon taking care of their fur and warming themselves in the sun. Oh and PS I was just kidding about the bloodshed. I didn't get forked or fanged even once in the whole ordeal.
|
Rosie
Member
11-12-2003
| Sunday, March 25, 2007 - 9:35 pm
CDBGA, thanks for information on Fancy Feast. I bought one of each to try. She doesn't care for big chunks of meat. She used to like Iams lamb - it was a very soft texture. GAL, always love to read one of your stories. I use Johnson's baby shampoo to bathe my kitty. She seems ok with it and she smells sweet afterwards.
|
Watching2
Member
07-07-2001
| Sunday, March 25, 2007 - 10:17 pm
Hypermom - Elsa is a beauty! How old is she now? GAL - Your narratives always crack me up!! My DD is more apt to give the adult Misha a bath than I am, esp. since she stays inside and grooms herself well. We just use a pet shampoo for her. DD (who no longer lives home) bathes her rats frequently so she's into that kind of thing! LOL I do remember when I've bathed cats in the past, having a towel in the bottom of the tub to give them something to sink their claws into does help some. 
|
Hypermom
Member
08-13-2001
| Sunday, March 25, 2007 - 11:47 pm
Watching, she is 8 months old now. She's already bigger than Sam and Holly were and still growing
|
Retired
Member
07-11-2001
| Monday, March 26, 2007 - 7:24 am
Love the pics and stories!
|
Calamity
Member
10-18-2001
| Monday, March 26, 2007 - 11:33 am
Goddessatlaw: Always enjoy your stories! I give my indoor-only cats a bath about once-a-year as it really helps with their shedding. However Bigfoot, my dad's cat, needs a bath more frequently as she has long hair and sometimes gets a bit messy, to put it somewhat delicately. (We shave her belly and hindquarters in the summer.) Two tricks I've learned - 1) put a wet towel on the bottom of the tub/sink. It gives the kitties a more secure footing so they're less likely to panic or flail about; and 2) always lock the kitties up before you start the baths, otherwise it turns into a game of chase and hide-and-seek once it's the next one's turn.
|
Watching2
Member
07-07-2001
| Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - 1:01 pm
She does look pretty big already, Hypermom!! It will be interesting to see how she ends up size-wise. 
|
Whrlwnd
Member
10-13-2006
| Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - 3:26 pm
Elsa is a cutie peeking over the counter like that! PS Everyone needs to share more pics, please! I love seeing your babies.
|
Supergranny
Member
02-03-2005
| Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - 4:51 pm
Goddess you make me laugh so hard. I thoroughly enjoy your stories. If I could give some advice on bathing cats. I showed persians so have had to give lots of baths and have done demos to other breeders. (In my younger years I should add!) First it is easier to spray the water over the cat rather than set them into the water. Use a washcloth to wash their heads..cats freak over that water in their face. And I never put a towel on the sink/bathtub bottom. Never give them anything to get a grip on and propel them selves over your shoulder. I guarantee you will never get ahold of that lathered-up wet cat for several days if you let them get away in that state!
|
Sheilaree
Member
07-19-2002
| Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - 5:14 pm
Are you nuts giving a cat a bath they don't like water, did they forgive Mommy after that. It must have been a funny site trying to give a cat a bath, where they ususally clean themselves.
|
Supergranny
Member
02-03-2005
| Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - 5:27 pm
Show cats get used to it, you start bathing them as kittens. And if you want them to look their best...they have to be clean!
|
Karen
Member
09-07-2004
| Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - 5:28 pm
How To Wash A Cat - YouTube Video -- Priceless!! I, too, have been known to give both my girls baths, about once a year. They don't seem to enjoy it if they watch the tub being filled, but if you're prepared and all you have to do is plunk them into an already-full tub, they seem to sit fairly still, albeit a bit miffed. I use regular old Pantene shampoo for them -- makes their fur so soft and fluffy! Just make sure you use the hand tap to be extra sure you got all the suds off. After the bath, tho, once they're dry, they're happy as all get out.
|
Halfunit
Moderator
09-02-2001
| Saturday, March 31, 2007 - 9:27 am
I'd have to bathe Odin and his tail separately.

|
Supergranny
Member
02-03-2005
| Saturday, March 31, 2007 - 9:48 am
Gorgeous! Makes me want to snuggle up with him!
|
Goddessatlaw
Member
07-19-2002
| Saturday, March 31, 2007 - 10:33 am
Jayzus!! Jayzus!! Do you hook a handle to him and use him to clean the ceilings?
|
Halfunit
Moderator
09-02-2001
| Saturday, March 31, 2007 - 10:56 am
Thanks, SG!
|
Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Saturday, March 31, 2007 - 11:36 am
Our guy's tail is big but Odin's is truly extraordinary!
|