Pistachio and Mags have arrived
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@George-K said in Pistachio and Mags have arrived:
@LuFins-Dad ...
What's the plan for the kitties?
Right now we are keeping them confined most of the day in the kitchen. It’s the easiest place to confine them while give them space, sun, and they aren’t big enough to jump on the counters yet. While we have one of those sanitary litter boxes and are keeping them well away from the food prep and cooking areas. We are still being super careful, and mostly cooking outside…
We are allowing them access to the main level (dining room and living room) for 1-2 hours a day or until they appear overwhelmed.
They’ll get more supervised access to the main level over the next couple of weeks and will start introducing them to the basement and upstairs over the next few weeks. The basement includes a utility room, a music studio, a Finley play room/study room, and a small media room/mancave. The cats will not have access to the media room or the utility room. Upstairs we have 2 kids bedrooms, a bathroom, and a master suite. The plan is to keep them from the master suite.
Finley loves them already, picking them up, hugging them and kissing them goodnight and telling them he loves them before bed.
They will be spayed & neutered at 5.5 months. They will be indoor exclusive (though Karla has plans to leash/harness train them). And we will not be declawing them. They have 4 different climbing trees throughout the house, plenty of scratching posts, and we will try to train them about some of the furniture, but it’s cats…
Me/rry/Christmas
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@LuFins-Dad said in Pistachio and Mags have arrived:
They will be spayed & neutered at 5.5 months. They will be indoor exclusive (though Karla has plans to leash/harness train them). And we will not be declawing them. They have 4 different climbing trees throughout the house, plenty of scratching posts, and we will try to train them about some of the furniture, but it’s cats…
You're keeping them?
Fabulous!
Our cats have been good about furniture. I got a scratching post for them and used some "scratch-provoking essential oil" stuff on the posts. They used that a lot, and haven't touched the furniture.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@George-K said in Pistachio and Mags have arrived:
@LuFins-Dad said in Pistachio and Mags have arrived:
They will be spayed & neutered at 5.5 months. They will be indoor exclusive (though Karla has plans to leash/harness train them). And we will not be declawing them. They have 4 different climbing trees throughout the house, plenty of scratching posts, and we will try to train them about some of the furniture, but it’s cats…
You're keeping them?
Fabulous!
Our cats have been good about furniture. I got a scratching post for them and used some "scratch-provoking essential oil" stuff on the posts. They used that a lot, and haven't touched the furniture.
Oh, we’re not 100% committed to keeping them. That’s the plan, but I do have a pretty bad allery to cats. When Karla and I first met, she had a cat that I eventually adjusted a little to, but I also did have to use albuterol from time to time for my asthma. It was the first time since high school, frankly.
I’m hoping that if we carefully manage it with a much better hvac filtration system, along with a couple of better room air purifiers that we didn’t have before (though I think the cheap fan and furnace filter will work the best) will make the difference. Especially with them staying out of the bedroom and me having one guaranteed safe man cave to retreat to.
So far there have been a couple of sneezes, and a slight irritation of the eyes, but it’s been manageable without any medical assistance. No runny nose or tearing up yet..
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@George-K said in Pistachio and Mags have arrived:
scratch-provoking essential oil
Do tell. I can only find ones to deter.
Luna is just naturally a great cat and NEVER EVER scratches anywhere but the boxes and posts we put out for them. Stella, on the other hand, scratches to get our attention, like a misbehaving toddler. She has now taken to scratching the bottom of the bed when she wants Janet to get up.
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@LuFins-Dad said in Pistachio and Mags have arrived:
I do have a pretty bad allery to cats.
When Mrs. George and I met, we got two cats - Sadie and Oscar. After a few months, her asthma got so bad that she (don't tell anyone this) was using sub-q epinephrine to stop wheezing. We eventually re-homed them to friends.
She saw an allergist and asked about pets, and his comment was, "You can have any pet you want, as long as it doesn't have fur or feathers."
Which is why we got Jack, the iguana.
But, i digress...
About 10 years ago, D3 had to rehome her cat, The Bee. We agreed to take her in IF Mrs. George had no allergy problems. And she didn't.
Doing some research showed that some people have fewer allergy problems with long-haired cats, and The Bee was a DLH. Adopting Maggie was with the proviso that we could return her if allergies acted up. They didn't, and that's why we felt comfortable getting Boris.
But, what about the dogs we had?
After Jack died, Mrs. George started getting allergy desesensitization shots.So, 5 years later, when we got our first dog, also named Oscar, it was not a problem, and she tolerated him just fine.
But, what about feathers?
We had a cockatiel for about a week, back in 87 or so. Cockatiels and cockatoos have a powder on their feathers that is allergenic. Mrs. George's allergies acted up with the cockatiel and we returned it. However, hookbills (Parrots, Macaws, Conures) have an oil-based feather which is NOT allergenic. Go figure.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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That is amazing! And really wonderful for you guys!
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@George-K said in Pistachio and Mags have arrived:
@LuFins-Dad said in Pistachio and Mags have arrived:
I do have a pretty bad allery to cats.
When Mrs. George and I met, we got two cats - Sadie and Oscar. After a few months, her asthma got so bad that she (don't tell anyone this) was using sub-q epinephrine to stop wheezing. We eventually re-homed them to friends.
She saw an allergist and asked about pets, and his comment was, "You can have any pet you want, as long as it doesn't have fur or feathers."
Which is why we got Jack, the iguana.
But, i digress...
About 10 years ago, D3 had to rehome her cat, The Bee. We agreed to take her in IF Mrs. George had no allergy problems. And she didn't.
Doing some research showed that some people have fewer allergy problems with long-haired cats, and The Bee was a DLH. Adopting Maggie was with the proviso that we could return her if allergies acted up. They didn't, and that's why we felt comfortable getting Boris.
But, what about the dogs we had?
After Jack died, Mrs. George started getting allergy desesensitization shots.So, 5 years later, when we got our first dog, also named Oscar, it was not a problem, and she tolerated him just fine.
But, what about feathers?
We had a cockatiel for about a week, back in 87 or so. Cockatiels and cockatoos have a powder on their feathers that is allergenic. Mrs. George's allergies acted up with the cockatiel and we returned it. However, hookbills (Parrots, Macaws, Conures) have an oil-based feather which is NOT allergenic. Go figure.
Well, after 2 weeks I started to notice a buildup of some allergy symptoms. Nothing too bad. Then, on Thursday, I needed to drive them for about 7 hours. (Long story, don’t ask). The next two days were hell anytime I was around the cats… I’m thinking that the long and confined exposure resulted in me being hypersensitive to them
So, I’m taking a few days away from them… Basically staying in the bedroom or finishing my downstairs man cave . When in shared spaces I will be using a mask for a few days until all the inflamed membranes go back to normal.
We’ve been running the Roombas and the air filters, (by the way, comparing the filter on the back of the box fan filter vs the room air filters tells the tale. It is far dirtier, already) but maybe haven’t been as diligent at vacuuming the walls and furniture as we should have. I also think that them got a little more lax in my behavior with the kitties, spending too much time with them and as no symptoms were occurring, i was less diligent with hand washing immediately after playing with or petting them.
We’re going to work on fixing those behaviors, and I am researching steam cleaners to use. Karla’s also researching some of the dander sprays that you can use to clean the kitties with.
Beyond that, the next step is allergy shots.
Me/rry/Christmas
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@LuFins-Dad No fun for you. HOpe it clears up soon.
(I have a small allergy to cats so I know what you are going through)
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As you may know, we occasionally board dogs. Today, we had a return guest. Lucas is an 80lb Labradoodle that stayed with us last year for a week. Before he came over, we confirmed that he is good with kitties. He’s a great dog… When Finley woke up this morning and saw the dog, he immediately got excited saying “Lucas is here!” Having a 4 year old remember a dog from a year ago is really impressive!
3 minutes ago, Finley ran by me carrying Pistachio in both hands at arms length towards the sleeping labradoodle with a shit eating grin on his face. My mind immediately registered “uh oh!” But trying to get the brain to put the various warning signs together was like trying to start a gasoline lawn mower with a flooded engine. You keep pulling the cord and nothing happens..
So Finle drops the kitty onto the labradoodle’s butt, the labradoodle jumps to his feet, and the cat is holding on to the dogs behind for dear life with back arched and fur raised. The dog runs around the living room twice before the cat jumps off and climbs the kitty tree. The dog has been standing under the tree staring at the kitty since then.
I have been told that it’s my job to go upstairs snd punish the child.
Just as soon as I stop laughing.
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Education is extremely important.
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@Horace said in Pistachio and Mags have arrived:
Gotta love varmints and their shenanigans.
Toss in a 4-year-old that is showing disturbing signs of making an evil mastermind…
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@George-K said in Pistachio and Mags have arrived:
Sunshine for Boris and Maggie
George, do they use the basket? We have a tree that has a basket in it, but they never get in it. Karla wants to get these baskets that can go directly into the window, but I’m not sure.
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It’s official… We took them down to the shelter on Wednesday for spaying and neutering, they were kept overnight for observation, and Karla completed the adoption paperwork and brought them home on Thursday.
We’re having to keep them separated and a little confined for a few days until they are fully recovered, so both kitties have been wanting constant attention and love. This is a big change from Magneto’s typical behavior, and Karla’s worried about a personality shift.
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Congrats!
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Kindly explain to me why the cat that doesn’t want a lot of love and attention picks the times I am sitting at the desk working to jump on to my lap and demand love and affection?
