Struggling With Play Time

[Animal Freak]

Don;t worry, when you have a chance to respond is fine. Typing on a phone can't be easy.

At least Ash only like banana bread. My girl likes everything!!

Hmmmmmm. I wonder why he did it. It is something. Just think about what might have gone on before. It is good they are getting along better. Yes, when a cat stands up for themselves it tends to happen less typically. A confident cat is less likely to be attacked and also to attack.

Well, sometimes and intact male can cause issues. Keep an eye on it and see if there might be a link.

Interesting. I have heard people and animals having a much worse time lately. I am glad to hear you are not as affected!! Poor Stella. And Benadryl makes them tired. :/ Poor Frost. Maybe he was rubbing on something and scratched it.

That is good he looks better. Oh my, I wonder if he was territorial. Poor little kitty being chased away.

Between Ash and Ember, there's usually a cat that will eat something. Ash likes anything bread-y and dangerous. You know, the things that can seriously harm him. Yeah, that's what he wants. Ember eats everything you'd expect plus everything you wouldn't expect. Lettuce. Sweet potato peels. Weird stuff.

I'm at a loss because it's pretty extreme even for him to pee on one of his own toys. Usually it's rugs, bags, and things of that sort. But nothing else seems wrong. He's been in a mostly good mood. Has his crazy moments one to three times a day. Plays on and off. Ember hasn't been going after him.

Haven't been in contact with any intact males. The male at the clinic is a neutered 15 year old and I only worked with a couple of female dogs at the shelter. Maybe a cat outside, I guess.

Well, I've only been getting allergy shots for over two years now. Though I'm pretty sure my allergist thinks I'm crazy living with three cats and working at a vet clinic with my allergies and the shots probably aren't going to be completely effective. Not sure what happened to the dog. She's had itchy ears, but nothing like this. Definitely possible with Frost. You know cats. Always rubbing on things.

I did finally get close enough to see Old Tom's eyes and they're definitely better. Still squinty, but I don't think that's going anywhere. He doesn't have one mostly closed one anymore though. I feel better now, seeing him up close.

 

[Furballsmom]

did finally get close enough to see Old Tom's eyes and they're definitely better.

 

[calicosrspecial]

:/ Yep, cats. I have one that is interested in EVERYTHING as well, sticks her nose into EVERYTHING but will never eat anything. Just touch everything. :/ I know how frustrating it is.

Nothing obvious. But something must have caused him to do it. It can be as simple as a person coming how after having a stressful day at work and we don't really even realize it is that bad. Usually on something is saying "this is mine" or "stay away from this". Things like that. A toy (soft) can be like litter so it is not surprising it was on a toy.

Again, doesn't seem obvious. It could have been one of the animals or they had the scent of someone on them. It is just so hard to know. And sadly, other than stepping up play, building confidence, just watching our stress levels or the smells of other animals there isn't much specific we can do about it. The good news is they don't want to do that, it is usually something causing it and is a sign of a cat calling out for help (for some reason they can't communicate to us).

The shots must be working. I hear they are effective for many. I am allergic to a lot of things as well and WAS allergic to cats. But I struggled through and my body worked through it and now I am rarely affected. But with pollen, grass etc I am always bad. I do hear from a lot of people that the animals are really struggling with allergies this year. For some reason. Let's hope it stops soon.

That is great. Sometimes they scratch themselves on a bush, or with their paw or another cat swats them. But they can get over those. Whew. Thank goodness he seems like he is ok.

 

[Animal Freak]

:/ Yep, cats. I have one that is interested in EVERYTHING as well, sticks her nose into EVERYTHING but will never eat anything. Just touch everything. :/ I know how frustrating it is.

Nothing obvious. But something must have caused him to do it. It can be as simple as a person coming how after having a stressful day at work and we don't really even realize it is that bad. Usually on something is saying "this is mine" or "stay away from this". Things like that. A toy (soft) can be like litter so it is not surprising it was on a toy.

Again, doesn't seem obvious. It could have been one of the animals or they had the scent of someone on them. It is just so hard to know. And sadly, other than stepping up play, building confidence, just watching our stress levels or the smells of other animals there isn't much specific we can do about it. The good news is they don't want to do that, it is usually something causing it and is a sign of a cat calling out for help (for some reason they can't communicate to us).

The shots must be working. I hear they are effective for many. I am allergic to a lot of things as well and WAS allergic to cats. But I struggled through and my body worked through it and now I am rarely affected. But with pollen, grass etc I am always bad. I do hear from a lot of people that the animals are really struggling with allergies this year. For some reason. Let's hope it stops soon.

That is great. Sometimes they scratch themselves on a bush, or with their paw or another cat swats them. But they can get over those. Whew. Thank goodness he seems like he is ok.

I was sitting in the dark this morning with my cereal on the table by me. Then I heard a weird noise and flashed a light of to see Ash licking my cereal! Right next to me! He blends right in in the dark too. My mom thinks Ember acts like she's always starving, but I think Ash is worse.

Well, it's definitely been stressful lately. My mom started a new job, I'm still getting used to my job, and college, and I've struggled to keep up with everything. It just seemed like odd timing since he seemed to be in a good, playful mood.

I don't really know what to do. Maybe I could fit another play session in in the morning, but I just don't have the time to do several sessions a day. Not that they play much to begin with. He's definitely up high a lot. He's usually on top of a cat tree somewhere. Usually the one he barely fits on. And he likes to lay with his head over the edge and choke himself.

They've definitely helped. It was questionable the first year, but this year there's a definite change. I think it's helped more with the plant allergies than the animal ones, but anything helps. The allergist doesn't seem to think there's much that can be done as long as I'm living with cats, but then it's like why the heck would I go through getting the shots if I don't plan on being around them? Hopefully my body will work through them on it's own too. And figure out what's going on with Stella. Ash has been scratching a bit lately too, but we haven't seen any signs of fleas.

Yeah. I'll still be keeping an eye on him, but it seems like he's doing better. He had me worried for a bit there.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Yep, I know exactly that situation. :/ They really are something. They really do think what is ours is theirs................

That stress can be easily picked up by a cat. And we do go through those stressful times. It happens. The good news is, since there is really nothing systemic going on it should be a one off thing (not that we like it happening at all but it does happen sometimes).

If you can play that is great. I think the bigger thing is just try to slow down a bit, just give him a minute of love and attention, take a deep breathe and try to not stress too much, not rush around, etc. Things like that. Try to compartmentalize as much as possible. Accept that certain things have to be done but have to be done a little later. Basically try not to stress as much. Easier said than done but do your best and just take a moment with him to let him know he is still loved (and that tends to help us de-stress as well so the benefits go both ways).

That is great. Progress. I do think the body is amazing and can adapt especially when a person is younger. I am guessing the animal allergies will improve in the future. It could be just dry air or something (allergy) in the air. Things like that. I actually noticed the last few days my cats itching more (more the outside ones than inside but both are scratching more). I have heard this from many others as well. So I am really starting to believe something is going on. No flees for mine either.

That is great. I was worried as well. So good to hear that it was probably something minor. Whew.

 

[Animal Freak]

Sorry I didn't reply sooner. I didn't mean to disappear, but I typed this reply up over a week ago on the weekend and then, of course, right before I hit send I had computer issues and my computer was about to die. I tried getting on my phone to see if it had saved my message, but it only saved the first sentence!

Yes they do. Frost is the only one not bad about getting on the counters and into things right now, but then he's a crab. He's even hissed at Ash a couple of times and he never does that.

And Ash peed on the rubber mat outside the litterboxes. At least it's easy to clean, but it sure seems like he could've gone that half a foot to go in the litterbox. Either of them. There's two there. And he had been doing so good with this new litter...

I am getting better about slowing down a bit and giving them attention. It's hard sometimes, but it's getting easier. I'm getting used to the way things are and accepting my new routine. I had some issues last week because I ended up working four days when it's usually a max of three days. I can hardly get rid of the cats anymore though because everyone wants to snuggle now that it's cold. I sleep with a dog and two cats. One night I even briefly had all four, but it didn't last. Ash tried to snuggle with Frost, Frost didn't want to snuggle with him and left, and Ash followed him pretty quickly.

I hope they do. It'll make my life easier. I don't know what's getting to the dog though. It's still only her and it seems to have faded a bit, but she gets into these fits where she just can't stop scratching. When one itch is gone, there's another.

I'm not seeing much of any of the cats right now. Too cold for them. But I have seen Old Tom once this past week. He was by what I think was a storm drain in the parking lot of a bar.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Sorry about your computer. I have been there. Awful. I hope the computer recovered.

Yes, my boy gets upset at times. I can see it coming in his behavior. No idea why he gets that way but he does sometimes. :/ My second youngest is getting hissed at a lot lately BUT I think that comes from her sticking her face into them and being a pest.............

Yep. It happens. Sometimes they just miss or overshoot. Is it possible that happened? It could be pain related (arthritis). If it isn't just a mistake then it is probably some negative association (at that moment) with the litter box. Poor Ash. But at least it was easy to clean up.

Good for you. I know you could handle everything!! Wow, isn't it fun?!?!?!?!? Hahahahaha. 4 is pretty good (but not for sleep). That happens all the time with me. One doesn't like it and one of my girls ALWAYS follows them.

I hope it is just something in the air and Stella will get over it soon. Let's hope. At least it seems like it is getting better.

Yes, I would guess they are hunkered down to stay warm then. And maybe they are on a different schedule then you are?

Let me know about Ash. I am guessing it is nothing but let's hope.

 

[Animal Freak]

It's doing fine now. It was just being a bit weird at the time and needed to be restarted, but of course it wanted me to update.

Frost has just been getting crabbier and crabbier with time. He doesn't mess with Stella much, but he'll give her smack sometimes if she gets a little to riled up with him.

I'd be pretty impressed if he had just missed. It was a good few inches away from the nearest litter box and it has a slanted front, so it would've been all down the front of it. I'm guessing he might've had a flare up in his arthritis. It's hard to make litterboxes much more accessible though. All of ours are different with different ways of walking in.

Things are definitely getting better. Still hard, but better. No, four is not great for sleep. Three isn't great for sleep, but I'm getting used to that. I usually have the three of them at night anymore. Frost is almost as bad as Ember about dealing with the cold. I don't know what Ash does. I guess he stays warm doing everything he isn't supposed to do. I could hear him up on the counters last night. Got up once because he was making too much noise to ignore. That time I actually saw him and Ember come from the kitchen, so it could've been either or both. I'm guessing Ash was involved in one way or another though. Then there was a bunch of noise shortly after I went back to bed and I know it was him that time because everyone else was in bed with me. And I didn't feel like disturbing everyone to get up.

I hope so.

They could be on a different schedule what with it being dark for so long now. I do see cats sometimes, but not as much. It's still quite chilly when I get out around seven for my walk though.

I'll be keeping eye on him, but I don't think it's anything serious. He seems fine and isn't going out of his way to pee outside the litterbox constantly.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Good. Yes, the update. But I guess updates are very important for security reasons.

Yes, they can do that. Some cats get older and just don;t want to mess around as much. :/ Just try to give him some love and hopefully it will help. But cats can become grumpier.

Is Ash a pretty long cat? Or tall? Yes, he could have had a flare up and just had a little negative association. Usually when it is so close it is that or just a miss (not being in the right position, etc).

That is good. You can handle it. No, three is not great either. Yep, they like to roam at night. Interesting that Ash and Ember were together. Maybe they are doing better than we think??? Getting along. Partners in "crime". My guys are always doing things at night, cats like the nights...........

You should know fairly soon. Let's hope.

Yes, and maybe they are hunkered down more to stay warm. And when it gets cold then less prey is around as well.

It doesn't seem like it. I am guessing it is something minor and fairly rare. Since it is colder it is probably his arthritis. Some discomfort. Not much that can be done really. Poor guy.

 

[Animal Freak]

Yes, poor Ash. We always said he was going to be a crabby old man. Turns out it's Frost! I've been trying to pet them all at least a little when they come over. They're all super snuggly today, even Ash.

Honestly, I'm not sure how to tell. Ash is the biggest and fluffiest of the three, so it's hard to compare and I don't really have cats his weight to see how he compares to them. I don't think he's very tall, but he's a fairly long cat. I'm always reminded of how big he is when I realize he can reach the edge of the counters when standing on his hindlegs. He's only 11lbs. I can't imagine how big a 20lb cat is.

Sure, they get along when they're causing trouble. Usually one knocks something over and the other goes running in to see if there's food. They've been having some more fights lately though. Nothing huge, but some very small triggers.

Yeah. It's probably for the best that they hunker down. I saw a coyote at the edge of town the other day on my way home from work. It was pretty cool to see and very healthy looking, but I didn't expect to see one in town.

Yes. Hopefully it doesn't happen too often. I don't really know what else to do about his arthritis other than increase the glucosamine a bit. I'm not sure I've actually been giving him his full dose because we get them from somewhere else rather than the vet and the capsules are bigger, so I have to guess.

 

[calicosrspecial]

They can surprise us............... It is really good to just give them that and reassurance. Awwwww, snuggly. Very cool.

He sounds pretty long. That could be a contributing factor. And we know he has arthritis which can flare up at times especially if they have to maneuver a bit to fit in a litter box.

EXACTLY!! Mine are the same!! Interesting about some dust-ups. But they can happen especially when there is change like (someone working more etc).

I deal with coyotes all the time. They can be beautiful but cause a lot of trouble. Let's hope he stays away but they are always looking for food and sadly once they find it they come around time and time again. One off coyotes aren't are risky as packs but still are dangerous. But sadly, other than removing all food before dusk, not feeding after dusk, removing water (all things you have no control over) there is not much that can be done. It is awful but life.

Yes, all you can do is your best. Sometimes I think it just happens even if we do everything possible. Changing temperatures etc can have an impact. It is hard. And we never really know if the ingredients are what they say they are. Again, something out of our control. Frustrating. But I know you will figure out how best to deal with it.

 

[Animal Freak]

I've never thought about his length... It's interesting how they're all so different. Hopefully it's nothing major.

We had a pretty big fight the other day because Ash somehow finished his food early and snagged a piece of Frost's food! Ember won't steal from Frost, but she sure as heck will steal from Ash. So she attacked him. And he ran off. With the hunk of food. Growling. And I grabbed him because I'm not always smartest person, but at least I thought to scruff him first. He didn't do anything to me, but I didn't want him eating half of Frost's food. So Ash had to be put up while Frost finished his food and Ember calmed down.

He was a really pretty coyote. I haven't really seen any in real life, but he looked healthy. I haven't seen a lot of signs of coyotes before, so hopefully he was just passing through. We're in a really small town, but all the houses are clustered together, so there isn't really a lot of room for wildlife to live while avoiding humans.

Ember and Ash have taken to meowing for food. I don't know why they've started that and I don't know how to get it to stop. They usually start half an hour or so before it's time to eat. I don't mind their occasional meowing for attention or when they're playful which is usually only a few minutes, but this meow every few moments for half an hour or more really starts to get on my nerves, especially when I'm trying to do homework.

 

[calicosrspecial]

I don't think it is anything major. Just some things to look at or watch for. It is pretty cool how different they can be. And sometimes how similar cats can be. My girl inside is almost exactly like a boy outside. Same movements and mannerisms. I swear they are related but my girl is about 1.5 years older.

That doesn't sound too bad. It does happen. Sounds like everyone escaped without injury. And it sounds like they were fine after. I had a chase and some growling the other day. Sometimes it happens but as long as it is resolved quickly it isn't a big deal. But I know how it is like "where did that come from?". It can be unsettling. :/

Yes, they can be really gorgeous. Well, with humans going into their habitats and also having food source issues they can come down to the homes. :/ It is too bad. Hopefully he will stay away. I have had coyotes watching me feed the ferals. And one of my ferals actually stared down and growled and then when the coyote ran he chased him a bit. I NEVER saw that before. Or even heard of it. If I didn't see it myself I would have never believed it. I have to deal and worry about coyotes all the time and there is no real good answer to protect ferals from them. I hope your coyote decides to stay away from people but sometimes they get pretty use to us.

Yep, very common. Sadly, I have no idea how to stop that. Especially if we can't play with them or give them love if we are busy. I am helping someone else dealing with a cat doing that (and more). Maybe because it is getting colder and darker earlier they want to eat more and earlier? They are pretty smart trying different things to get what they want. :/

 

[Animal Freak]

For some reason it never said you replied. Glad I thought to check.

They're certainly interesting creatures. I will be keeping an eye on him. He doesn't seem to be going out of his way to pee outside the litter box though. He just goes out of his way to be obnoxious with his meowing and jumping on counters and eating our food.

It certainly could've been worse, but it was bad for them. Ash was not giving up that food. I don't even know how he finished his food and got down the hall that quickly and without me noticing. And for Frost to have had that much left!

This is true. We don't give them much choice in the matter. I haven't seen any signs of the coyote or any others lately. Not many cats either, for that matter. There was a black one sitting the sun today, but that's been about it. It's cold these days. It's interesting that a cat would try to take on a coyote. Scary too. Guess they have to learn to deal with the predators more now too.

I don't know what to do. They're not giving it up either. I make sure I don't feed them when they meow, but they don't care. Ash doesn't care. He's been getting on the counter for eight years! I think he's proven to be quite stubborn. He's really upset by the time change, but there isn't much I can do about that because when I work, we both get off around 7:30. They can't be fed before then.

I've been asked to do some photography for the shelter I volunteer at. Someone want me to do pictures of a kitten because she wasn't getting along with the other kittens and they wanted to get her adopted quickly. She had three applications within days of them posting my pictures and after that asked if I'd do more. So my mom and I went and did pictures of three siblings who are around four months old. They wanted those three to get pictures soon because they were in quarantine for two months and missed the chance of getting adopted when they were tiny kittens. They're the sweetest cats I've ever met. They'll just lay in your arms like they'd be happy to be there all day. There's two mostly while with black splotches and one mostly black with a little white. The mostly black one is obsessive over getting attention. You open the cage door and he throws himself at you. If you try to put him back, he clings to you. He also likes being on your shoulders and he has a very loud purr. I don't know how he doesn't have a home. I'd take him in an instant if I could. It just about broke me putting him back.

 

[calicosrspecial]

For some reason it never said you replied. Glad I thought to check.

They're certainly interesting creatures. I will be keeping an eye on him. He doesn't seem to be going out of his way to pee outside the litter box though. He just goes out of his way to be obnoxious with his meowing and jumping on counters and eating our food.

It certainly could've been worse, but it was bad for them. Ash was not giving up that food. I don't even know how he finished his food and got down the hall that quickly and without me noticing. And for Frost to have had that much left!

This is true. We don't give them much choice in the matter. I haven't seen any signs of the coyote or any others lately. Not many cats either, for that matter. There was a black one sitting the sun today, but that's been about it. It's cold these days. It's interesting that a cat would try to take on a coyote. Scary too. Guess they have to learn to deal with the predators more now too.

I don't know what to do. They're not giving it up either. I make sure I don't feed them when they meow, but they don't care. Ash doesn't care. He's been getting on the counter for eight years! I think he's proven to be quite stubborn. He's really upset by the time change, but there isn't much I can do about that because when I work, we both get off around 7:30. They can't be fed before then.

I've been asked to do some photography for the shelter I volunteer at. Someone want me to do pictures of a kitten because she wasn't getting along with the other kittens and they wanted to get her adopted quickly. She had three applications within days of them posting my pictures and after that asked if I'd do more. So my mom and I went and did pictures of three siblings who are around four months old. They wanted those three to get pictures soon because they were in quarantine for two months and missed the chance of getting adopted when they were tiny kittens. They're the sweetest cats I've ever met. They'll just lay in your arms like they'd be happy to be there all day. There's two mostly while with black splotches and one mostly black with a little white. The mostly black one is obsessive over getting attention. You open the cage door and he throws himself at you. If you try to put him back, he clings to you. He also likes being on your shoulders and he has a very loud purr. I don't know how he doesn't have a home. I'd take him in an instant if I could. It just about broke me putting him back.

That has happened to me a lot since the site changed. It doesn't show me that there is an alert and there is.

Yes they are interesting. No, cats don't chose to go outside of the litter box, it is usually caused by some issue. But Ash doesn't seem to have real issues. Well, it sounds like he is just a normal cat (meowing, jumping on counters, stealing food, etc).

Yes, it is interesting but it does happen.

I am glad that you aren't seeing more coyotes. Let's hope it continues. Maybe the cats are just hunkered down to stay warm. Or your schedule changed and you are just missing them. Yeah, my guy surprised me. He shouldn't do that. They are used to wildlife and dogs but coyotes are scary. A dog got loose and chased my cat up a tree the other day. At least he chose to run (it was another cat not the one that confronted the coyote).

Yes, they are cats. At some point they may stop or reduce the intensity but cats just do things like that. And some cats listen to things better than others. Not sure why. Confidence? My one girl is terrible and listens selectively and at certain things better than other things. My others are better and one listens really well. I have no idea why the differences other than personality. Yes, the time change shifts their timing so that can cause issues. Not much we can do especially with work or school or other time things. They do adjsut though.

That is great!!! Bringing your talents to help the cats. Great pictures do help. It is hard to find homes. I try all the time but everyone is either full or allergic. It is frustrating. Those cats sound really nice. I know, there are so many great cats that would make great pets. I have ferals that are amazing but all of us that would adopt them are all full already. Frustrating. But I would guess yours will find homes. Young cats are easier to find homes. Fingers crossed!!

 

[Furballsmom]

Just a quick note, you might double check your alert preferences if you haven't already

 

[Animal Freak]

That has happened to me a lot since the site changed. It doesn't show me that there is an alert and there is.

Yes they are interesting. No, cats don't chose to go outside of the litter box, it is usually caused by some issue. But Ash doesn't seem to have real issues. Well, it sounds like he is just a normal cat (meowing, jumping on counters, stealing food, etc).

Yes, it is interesting but it does happen.

I am glad that you aren't seeing more coyotes. Let's hope it continues. Maybe the cats are just hunkered down to stay warm. Or your schedule changed and you are just missing them. Yeah, my guy surprised me. He shouldn't do that. They are used to wildlife and dogs but coyotes are scary. A dog got loose and chased my cat up a tree the other day. At least he chose to run (it was another cat not the one that confronted the coyote).

Yes, they are cats. At some point they may stop or reduce the intensity but cats just do things like that. And some cats listen to things better than others. Not sure why. Confidence? My one girl is terrible and listens selectively and at certain things better than other things. My others are better and one listens really well. I have no idea why the differences other than personality. Yes, the time change shifts their timing so that can cause issues. Not much we can do especially with work or school or other time things. They do adjsut though.

That is great!!! Bringing your talents to help the cats. Great pictures do help. It is hard to find homes. I try all the time but everyone is either full or allergic. It is frustrating. Those cats sound really nice. I know, there are so many great cats that would make great pets. I have ferals that are amazing but all of us that would adopt them are all full already. Frustrating. But I would guess yours will find homes. Young cats are easier to find homes. Fingers crossed!!

Well, at least it's not just me, but it's kind of annoying.

I guess Frost is the abnormal one then. He's the only one not getting on the counters. Might be because he's not as food motivated though. Ember isn't as bad about it, but Ash was literally just up on the counters right behind my mom while she was cooking. She didn't even know. Frost has been especially crabby lately though. He's even lashed out at Ash a bit and that's weird. He's growled too! That was new. But he's been sweet to me. He sleeps by my head at night.

Could be a bit of both. It's darker longer and we're not rushing out the door for our walk in the mornings. Don't have to beat the heat anymore. Well, at least his coyote chasing didn't end badly. And good that the cat ran from the dog! We have a lot of loose dogs around it. It's why I don't take the cats out front on the leash much. It scares me. We were talking to the neighbors today. I had Stella off leash and they had their little Chihuahua. The lady was just telling me about the neighbor's rescue pit mix who gets over the fence easily and sure enough he did just that. Like it wasn't even there. We immediately ran in the house. The lady has met the dog and he's friendly enough, but we didn't take the chance with two little dogs. He actually did bite the lady over a bone a little while ago.

It sure seems like these cats cause more problems as they get older. Shouldn't they be calming down and being better behaved? Ash really just gets worse. It's a bit of an adjustment for us. We're not used to them being so difficult! The meowing is a bit aggravating though. I can be a bit sensitive to sound and it takes my focus off of what I'm doing, so it really slows me down.

I love taking pictures. I've been taking pictures of animals up there for a while, but had been told they don't need a photographer and so it was mostly just for my own practice. They finally took notice though and now I'm just trying to get quicker at getting the pictures done. Those three are so wonderful I can't understand why they don't already have homes. I guess just because there's always smaller, fluffier, cuter kittens there. No one wants a four month old when they could have an eight week old. One of the younger kittens got a home and she wasn't sweet or cuddly! All she did was attack my hand when I tried to hold her and tried to escape the cage when I was trying to get pictures. But she was adorable and tiny. I want the trio though. Even my mom has fallen for them.

 

[Animal Freak]

Just a quick note, you might double check your alert preferences if you haven't already

That might be a good idea though it seems to be working for me now.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Interesting, I never got your update. I got furballsmom's update the other day but never got yours. Hmmmmmmmmm I am leanring to just check instead of relying on an email or even the alert on the page. Oh well.

Hahaha, not sure "abnormal" but not as naughty. My one girl is like Ash, always doing things. My others don;t go on counters but some do everything to get in trouble. I only have 1 good one and even she can be naughty. Cats and naughty are like fish and water............ Hahahahaha

Food motivation is a factor. And what kinds of food matter. My girl LOVES breads. wow, yep. Some cats just feel like they can do anything. Ash feels confident around your mom obviously. Yes, they will growl. My girl growled at her brother the other day. It happens between loved ones. My girl the growler sleeps by my head a lot (and in my arms and on me). She is the one that goes on the counters as well.............................. Frost seems like a sweetheart.

That makes sense. Timing, weather changes, etc can really have an impact in who we see. It is sad because pitties are really sweet but sometimes people train them to be aggressive. And humans and other animals are different. Yikes, being bitten over a bone can happen even with good dogs. But people need to watch their dogs. If a fence can be jumped they have to keep them on a chain.

Yep. I think it has to do with how confident they are and of course how much energy they have (which is a sign of health as well). To me your cats tell me you are taking great care of them and they feel really good and confident. I think that is what we all wish for even though it can be annoying at times.

Yes, I have a feeling you are really great at photography. Pictures really make a difference on adoptions. I am glad they came around now. I know. I never understood the obsession about age. I take any age. They are all cute in my opinion. But we always want the person adopting them to love them so......... what happens is best. Wow, you AND your mom have fallen for them??? Adding that many is very hard. I KNOW how hard it is to see these cats that just fall for us. When I picked up one from animal control they had these young cats and they are so loving and cute. I have such a hard time seeing them as I fall in love with all cats.

BTW, Ash is nothing compared to my oldest girl. See has been annoying me on my lap this whole time AND she likes to nip my typing fingers. SO NAUGHTY!!! Hahahahahaha, I lvoe her but at the moment she just will not accept NO for more than 2 seconds. SO STUBBORN. ANd now she sat on the keyboard purring as she looks into my face. I gotta go she is something right noww...............

 

[Animal Freak]

That's odd. I've been getting the alerts now, but I will be careful to check if I don't.

Ash keeps stealing Frost's food! I don't know if he's eating faster or if Frost is eating slower. Yesterday I saw him dart down the hall and ran after him, but he got down there first and already had a hunk of food. I tried getting it back, but mostly just jammed my finger into his tooth while I was holding him by the scruff as he growled. He even put his paw up to his mouth to keep it in and I ended up just giving Frost a bit of extra dry food. Today I heard Ember hissing and spitting. Sure enough, he was getting Frost's food again. Ember is a good guard cat for Frost's food though. I don't think Ash got much, if any, this time. Frost is the only one behaving himself anymore.


Ash will get on the counters for just about anything. My mom caught him dragging a bag of bread off the counter once. He and Ember have gotten in the sink to lick dirty water. And growling isn't weird. Frost growling, however, is very weird. It was his first growl in eight years. He is sweet though. At least to people. Not a huge fan of the other animals anymore.

It is sad. And so many people are scared of them, including my mom. And incidents like these don't help. He doesn't seem aggressive, but with a bite history and two small dogs on the scene... It wasn't worth the risk. If it was just me, I wouldn't worry. Very few dogs are human aggressive. Usually aggressive behavior towards people is caused by something else such has resource guarding. But even dog-friendly dogs can react if a small dog runs from them. Or tries to attack them which Stella might. No one in this town cares though. I don't think the guy who owns the dog is bad, but he needs to control his dog. There's always dogs loose. One of my coworkers told me one of her dogs was found in this town covered in burn wounds, malnourished, had worms...

Well, I'm glad something good comes from this! I do understand it to an extent though because I'm sure it's hard for us to keep up on mental stimulation. It's something a lot of people don't even think about. Even I could do better and I do think about it.

I'm still learning, but I enjoy it and at least my pictures are better than a lot of the ones they get that are blurry or have bad lighting... I can understand the appeal of little kittens because, I mean, you just have to look at them. They're adorable. But it seems to be an obsession for a lot of people. I love kittens, but then I also know how difficult it can be to raise such a young kitten who was taken away from mom and siblings so soon. I had to pick between a sweet, affectionate, loving four month old kitten and a feisty, bite-y eight week old kitten? I'd take the older one every time. I mean, they're both still kittens. And yes, my mom has absolutely fallen in love with them. They have the advantage because she always had black and white cats as a kid and is a bit biased towards them, but it's not just that at this point. She didn't even complain about going with me last Saturday and commented on going to snuggle with them on the couch they have at the shelter next weekend. I didn't even know she planned on going next weekend. It doesn't help that the head volunteer always talks about how much they love us and how we should take them, etc. I even mentioned putting one under my shirt and stealing him once and she said she'd pretend she didn't see anything. If there weren't so many factors going against it, I honestly think we probably would have adopted them by now.

Haha. Ember is actually the one who bothers me while I'm on the computer. She's being surprisingly good right now laying on my lap with her head over my arm. I think she's just cold though. I'm glad she doesn't bite me though! Ash will though. He lays with his butt over my arm and I guess it bothers him when I move, so he'll lay there and growl until he gets fed up and bites me. But he won't move. I've had to shove him off my lap because he'll just keep biting me and he gets harder and harder. Ash doesn't take to no very well either.