Pistachio and Mags have arrived
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Speaking of cats...
Some things I don't understand about cats and people.
Why would anyone (other than a breeder, of course) NOT spay or neuter their cat. I had a female cat in 1976 that went into heat. It was the most God-awful week. Then, we can talk about male spraying.
Why would anyone let their pet cats go outdoors? My town's FB page usually gets one post per week saying, "My kitty hasn't come home today. If you see..." An outdoor cat will be exposed to predators, diseases, automobiles and all kinds of other stuff. If you love your pet, keep it in the house.
Don't get me started on de-clawing.
@George-K said in Pistachio and Mags have arrived:
Why would anyone let their pet cats go outdoors?
I think that outdoor cats are the number 1 cause of bird deaths also.
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@George-K said in Pistachio and Mags have arrived:
Why would anyone let their pet cats go outdoors?
I think that outdoor cats are the number 1 cause of bird deaths also.
@taiwan_girl said in Pistachio and Mags have arrived:
@George-K said in Pistachio and Mags have arrived:
Why would anyone let their pet cats go outdoors?
I think that outdoor cats are the number 1 cause of bird deaths also.
That’s a very bad take pushed by bird conservancy groups. The more accurate take is that domestic cats are the #1 directly related to humans cause of death to birds. What that basically means is that more birds die from domestic cats than to kids shooting them with pellet guns. This does not include birds that die from natural predators (orders of magnitude higher), birds that die from flying into wind turbines and buildings (orders of magnitude higher), birds killed by disease, age, etc… in scale, the number of birds killed by domestic cats vs total bird deaths would probably look a lot like the scale of the earth vs the sun. And of those birds killed by domestic cats, 99% are going to be pigeons, starlings, or sparrows as those birds are most often found thriving in urban and suburban areas where you are going to be most likely to find domestic cats. In many areas these birds are not just considered nuisance birds but are even listed as invasive.
I love birds and we have many bird feeders and several bird houses that we have put up around the neighborhood, but these bird conservancy groups are the proverbial Karen’s on methamphetamines.
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@George-K said in Pistachio and Mags have arrived:
Why would anyone let their pet cats go outdoors?
I think that outdoor cats are the number 1 cause of bird deaths also.
@taiwan_girl said in Pistachio and Mags have arrived:
@George-K said in Pistachio and Mags have arrived:
Why would anyone let their pet cats go outdoors?
I think that outdoor cats are the number 1 cause of bird deaths also.
I think that's now wind turbines.
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Wireless charging… Takes about 1 hour. We use the solar option.
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Tuckered. Lucas and Finley have kept them going
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@LuFins-Dad @George-K Great pics!!!
@taiwan_girl you really don't appreciate the size of Boris (~20 lb) until he's next to Maggie.
Maggie has always hissed and snarled at him - ever since we got Boris, she's been "unfriendly" toward him.
Interestingly, in the last 6 months or so, she's been more tolerant of him coming "into her space." The other day, they were actually chasing each other around. Maggie was the "chaser."
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@LuFins-Dad ...
What's the plan for the kitties?
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@LuFins-Dad ...
What's the plan for the kitties?
@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…
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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…
@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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@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.
@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..
The Brad
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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.
@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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@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..
@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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@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.
@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.
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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.
@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.
