Are there any other dudes out there that love cats?

[Yinzer]

On Tuesday morning, as Meeko drifted off, he continued licking me until he couldn't physically lick any longer. Valerie and I are so sad. Our house feels so empty now.
--Eric

I feel your pain brother, sorry for your loss. Happy to see you've found some new happiness running around the house, too. Am glad to know you got to enjoy him for as long as I got to enjoy mine. Made the very painful decision on Saturday to put down my 16.8 year old little buddy after another run to the local emergency vet related to problems from congestive heart failure diagnosed in early December. I just couldn't see cycling him thru another difficult stay for days at the vet followed by a return any number of few weeks later... As lovable of a cat he was, he hated vet trips and "the travel prison carrier." He was really weak in the hospital cage and when he heard my voice approaching he somehow willed himself up and limped towards me as if to say "please get me the hell out of here." Owned the little guy for 1/3 of my life and I can't believe how sad I am, thinking it'll be impossible to find another with even half of the fun personality traits Whitey had... Reading some of the posts above gives me a glimmer of hope to maybe find another one day who will form a similar bond, play fetch, sleep on the bed half the time, and do things like drag my laundry all over the stairs if I didn't return home in time to play with him or instantly jump up and plop down on me every time I laid on the couch or propped my feet up on the ottoman. This really, really sucks but I'm really glad this thread is here. I'm sorry to be a downer at the moment... I've often consoled myself after bad break-ups by finally learning in life that there's a really good chance that the next one will be even better, and I pray and hope that holds with pets. Have a good night, all.

 

[heySkippy]

Turbo & Rocky

 

[syndicate]

This is Mia. She is helping me wrench....in a tuxedo.

 

[Kyras]

Of my three cats, only my Bengal girl, Talia, is a hunter. I don't let her outside unless I'm watching her like a hawk, except on a few occasions when I'll let her out on my deck. Here are some photos from Feb. 6, 2016, when she caught a bird on the deck and brought it in the house. The bird played dead and she loses interest when one quits moving so it got away. I finally caught the bird in my hands and it flew away when I took it outside.


^A rare when time the three cats sat together.


^Here is Talia cruising the deck railing.










^I got the tired bird in my hands off this wall decoration and took it outside.

 

[ekin95]

I got 2 new kitten on 1/1/16 and they are super tiny. Kouivu and Yoshi, another Seal Point and Chocolate Point.

Here is Koivu



This is Yoshi



Here is all 6 sleeping together after about 15 days after bringing the kitten home.

 

[Kyras]

I got 2 new kitten on 1/1/16 and they are super tiny. Kouivu and Yoshi, another Seal Point and Chocolate Point.

Meezers are definitely my favorite cat. I love to "talk" to my Zion. I'm thinking my next kitten will be a blue point. I acquired a homeless one and gave it to my boyfriend. The cat (Henry) was left behind when his owner had a stroke and moved out. A neighbor man, also named Henry, had been feeding the cat but it was forced to live outside. The daughter of the man taking care of the cat posted on Facebook to try to find a home for it. The Facebook group is Siamese "Rehome" Angels. We met them and took Henry the cat for Ricky's cat. The cat has been doing great living with Ricky since December 13th last year. He runs from me but is happy with Ricky. I got the cat chipped and checked out so it associates me with a cage and the vet.


^Dec. 13, 2015. The man, Henry, who was feeding the cat Henry, with the daughter who arranged for us to get the cat.


^Ricky had a terrible cold and was home sick for a week, right when we got Henry. It made for a great bonding time.




^It looks like Henry Yamaha II likes his new digs. :smile:

 

[KnoxVegas]

I feel your pain brother, sorry for your loss. Happy to see you've found some new happiness running around the house, too. Am glad to know you got to enjoy him for as long as I got to enjoy mine. Made the very painful decision on Saturday to put down my 16.8 year old little buddy after another run to the local emergency vet related to problems from congestive heart failure diagnosed in early December. I just couldn't see cycling him thru another difficult stay for days at the vet followed by a return any number of few weeks later... As lovable of a cat he was, he hated vet trips and "the travel prison carrier." He was really weak in the hospital cage and when he heard my voice approaching he somehow willed himself up and limped towards me as if to say "please get me the hell out of here." Owned the little guy for 1/3 of my life and I can't believe how sad I am, thinking it'll be impossible to find another with even half of the fun personality traits Whitey had... Reading some of the posts above gives me a glimmer of hope to maybe find another one day who will form a similar bond, play fetch, sleep on the bed half the time, and do things like drag my laundry all over the stairs if I didn't return home in time to play with him or instantly jump up and plop down on me every time I laid on the couch or propped my feet up on the ottoman. This really, really sucks but I'm really glad this thread is here. I'm sorry to be a downer at the moment... I've often consoled myself after bad break-ups by finally learning in life that there's a really good chance that the next one will be even better, and I pray and hope that holds with pets. Have a good night, all.

Andy, I'm so sorry to hear about your loss, especially so late. I hope you're doing ok, and I am sure that you will be saved by the next one you save. We're thinking about you, and hope you can find some peace.

Hannah and I got so lucky that our rescue Odie "picked us" the same time we chose him. I definitely don't want to think about the future without that guy, I look forward to the future when we will get to make another cat's life by adopting them and giving them a forever home.

 

[Yinzer]

Hannah and I got so lucky that our rescue Odie "picked us" the same time we chose him. I definitely don't want to think about the future without that guy, I look forward to the future when we will get to make another cat's life by adopting them and giving them a forever home.

Thanks John, I'm doing OK. Perfect story to share, thanks for that!! How about some photos?

My friend's wife is a director at the local Animal Friends and she's on the lookout...they have group meet & greets where you get to jump into the thick of things and hopefully run into a perfect match. I toyed around with wanting a Bengal after learning more about them in this thread way back when but I'm definitely going for another orange, it'll be my 3rd orange since I was 19. Just something about their personalities...

But do share some photos here when you can!

 

[KnoxVegas]

Odie

But do share some photos here when you can!

Ask and ye shall receive. I swear my wife and I have wayyyy more photos of our cat than we do of each other. Still more than I have of my car also. Haha.

This is our rescue guy Odie. We got him from a local group in December 2013. They think he was about 6 at that time. He loves to go outside on his leash and sleep on his back all twisted up. He's a ham for sure.

 

[Yinzer]

Ha ha, awesome, great pictures. What a face. The 16-year-old me would never have thought I'd prefer a cat over a dog. Of course, I'd love to have a dog, but my lifestyle doesn't allow it at the moment. Thanks for posting, those pictures were a nice pick me up after a long 11 hour day at the circle bar W!

 

[Yinzer]

Hannah and I got so lucky that our rescue Odie "picked us" the same time we chose him. I definitely don't want to think about the future without that guy, I look forward to the future when we will get to make another cat's life by adopting them and giving them a forever home.

So I went for a random drive last weekend and stopped in at the Beaver County Humane Society near where I grew up in Aliquippa. Ran into this little orange guy, and here he be now running around my place like a madman full of energy, only to fall asleep instantly, rinse and repeat five times a night. I'm back in business, John! How's Hannah, Odie, and the NSX? (Sounds like a good name for a movie)

 

[KnoxVegas]

Ran into this little orange guy, and here he be now running around my place like a madman full of energy, only to fall asleep instantly, rinse and repeat five times a night. I'm back in business, John! How's Hannah, Odie, and the NSX? (Sounds like a good name for a movie)

Holy cow is that little fuzzball cute. Welcome home Murray.

Hannah is good. She just put her resignation in at TVA yesterday and will start her new job (still at home in Knoxville) on 5/9. She is beyond excited. Odie is good as well. Just being as smart and cute as ever.

The NSX is great too. I'm slowly working on a post for my build thread (which has morphed into an event chronicle it seems) from the S2ki Wake the Dragon event we went to last weekend. It was a great event, and even had a few NSX owners there, but only 1 other NSX. Hannah got some cool video of the massive rollout and Dragon run, so I'm gonna try to put that to YouTube and post it as well.

Glad you're back into a kitty, and hope you and your beautiful GPW are doing well.

 

[diddy]

im getting a bengal next month, any pointers from bengal owners?

 

[Yinzer]

im getting a bengal next month, any pointers from bengal owners?

How's the Bengal working out??

 

[Yinzer]

OK - any vets here or anyone who's a good friend with a vet? I'm kind of baffled right now regarding food for my 9 month old kitten and would really appreciate some real, honest, unbiased advice. The internet is being completely useless with answers for this question. I believe in feeding "good" food without compromise to my pet, given I went thru health problems for 2 years with my last one and would like to do as many right things as possible.

My "cat person friend" (who's not a vet) pointed me towards some supposed "top notch" cat food with "very good ingredients" over the Purina One that the shelter sent me off with after adoption. (Solid Gold brand food) AMAZON

My vet never heard of this "top notch" brand (which I find surprising) and is pointing me towards the usual suspects, with her top 2 picks being either Science Diet or Purina Pro Plan, due to all the research & science they put into having the right balance of ingredients. She "never heard" of the solid gold brand and says you don't want to risk choosing a poorly balanced option w/o the science behind it, etc, etc.

If you look online, you can find enough conflicting bad or good advice to tell you whatever you want. Purina Pro Plan & Science Diet have had too many recalls. Vets are "coerced" to support those brands. Food like Solid Gold have no grains or fillers or ground chicken beaks, etc etc etc, which sounds legit but who knows.

I'd like to stick with dry food. So I'd really like to hear - does anyone know a vet and/or have you gone thru these iterations? What are you feeding your cats and why?
[MENTION=30317]KnoxVegas[/MENTION] [MENTION=16371]Kyras[/MENTION] [MENTION=9069]ekin95[/MENTION] [MENTION=24013]syndicate[/MENTION] [MENTION=11813]heySkippy[/MENTION]

Thanks, and hopefully this info may be helpful to you or others!
Andy (and Murray)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMVHaZYA4Ju/?taken-by=yinzervich

 

[Kyras]

I know what you mean about advice on Bengal cat food. It's about as bad as whether to vote for Trump or Clinton! Thank goodness that's coming to an end right now!! People who only feed their Bengals cooked chicken amaze me. It's a domestic cat and not a wild Asian Leopard cat anymore.

I've not had any problems with Blue Buffalo dry cat food. I have a container feeder that free feeds my three cats ages, 3 to 18 years-old. I recently bought a new type of dry Blue Buffalo but haven't starting using it yet. I also give the three cats a bit of wet food everyday (also Blue Buffalo) on their own plates, just to spoil them a tad. They never get scraps or human food, at all.

Here are the two dry foods I'm talking about. I've been happy with the purple "Adult Healthy Living" dry food but recently bought the pink "Adult Sensitive Stomach" version. I think they are very similar but my Siamese boy of 3 years, seems to have a sensitive stomach. Or it could be the old lady, Crystal, who's 18 years old. Once in awhile someone barfs. Of course, cats barf and concrete cracks. My Bengal, Talia, seems the toughest of them all.


Here's a link to Blue Buffalo dry cat foods. I buy them now on a website, Chewy.com. It's quick and they have good prices.

 

[docjohn]

pm Gary.... ncdogdoc

 

[Yinzer]

Thanks! Good info. Blue Buffalo was on her list but she highlighted/favored the two I mentioned. Who knows.
Fantastic photo!!!!

pm Gary.... ncdogdoc

Thanks DJ. PM sent.

 

[KnoxVegas]

I'd like to stick with dry food. So I'd really like to hear - does anyone know a vet and/or have you gone thru these iterations? What are you feeding your cats and why?

Thanks, and hopefully this info may be helpful to you or others!
Andy (and Murray)

Hey Andy. I don't think I'm probably the best person to answer this, since when we first got Odie he was pretty overweight and on a prescription weight loss dry food from Hill's. Since then, he's had some allergic flareups, and we've switched him to Hill's Prescription Diet z/d so he can eat a hypoallergenic food.

I hope you and Murray can get it figured out!

 

[Yinzer]

Hey Andy. I don't think I'm probably the best person to answer this, since when we first got Odie he was pretty overweight and on a prescription weight loss dry food from Hill's. Since then, he's had some allergic flareups, and we've switched him to Hill's Prescription Diet z/d so he can eat a hypoallergenic food.

I hope you and Murray can get it figured out!

Good deal, thanks John! Here I thought I was doing the right thing by 'upgrading' and then my vet points me towards the usual suspects, and right after I had read something about some vets being courted to push the usual-suspect big-brand names, giving me a little doubt here...

My prior cat was on ZD so I was right along there with you on those purchases for while!

I've not had any problems with Blue Buffalo dry cat food. I have a container feeder that free feeds my three cats ages, 3 to 18 years-old. I recently bought a new type of dry Blue Buffalo but haven't starting using it yet. I also give the three cats a bit of wet food everyday (also Blue Buffalo) on their own plates, just to spoil them a tad. They never get scraps or human food, at al

Before I posted initiallyabove, I looked a lot online and Blue Buffalo’s site did come up often, whereyou can compare their food to others, and it did seem better than my vet’s twofavored options, which added to the confusion (if they’re so good, why didn’t shefavor them, etc.)… Nonetheless I ranout of food yesterday and went with a bag of Blue Buffalo kitten.We’ll see how it goes!


Thanks for responding, you two.

 

[akira3d]

We may not have Bengals, but we also use Blue Buffalo brand for dry food. We were pretty hesitant to offer any dry food to our girls after our experience with our boy Meeko...bladder stones and kidney disease is not fun...

 

[ncdogdoc]

Sorry so tardy.

There is no best food, in my opinion. I like Purina's better products (ie, more expensive), Science Diet, and Blue. I do believe that a mix of canned and dry is ideal, but it is harder to keep them slim on dry food due to the carbohydrate content. I am in favor of activity feeding, or having to work for their meal.

Cats are not dog's, nor are they people. If they have regular bowel movements that are firm, and they get plenty of water, and are not overweight, then they are probably just fine with what they are eating.

Most of the time if they turn their nose up at a food, they are being overfed. Less than 10% of my patients are normal weight. They do not have to eat every day, so do not feel bad if they skip a meal or two or even three.

Hope this helps a little.

 

[Yinzer]

We may not have Bengals, but we also use Blue Buffalo brand for dry food. We were pretty hesitant to offer any dry food to our girls after our experience with our boy Meeko...bladder stones and kidney disease is not fun...

Thx for posting. Great photos too!! Could you elaborate about dry food being risker than wet food? After 2.5 years of giving shots to my last pet, my vet never really pointed out any risks with any certain type of dry food vs. wet for my new guy, but instead pointed to sticking to "better" brands of dry so as to avoid problems, especially while my little guy is still considered a kitten.

Sorry so tardy.

There is no best food, in my opinion. I like Purina's better products (ie, more expensive), Science Diet, and Blue. I do believe that a mix of canned and dry is ideal, but it is harder to keep them slim on dry food due to the carbohydrate content. I am in favor of activity feeding, or having to work for their meal.

Cats are not dog's, nor are they people. If they have regular bowel movements that are firm, and they get plenty of water, and are not overweight, then they are probably just fine with what they are eating.

Most of the time if they turn their nose up at a food, they are being overfed. Less than 10% of my patients are normal weight. They do not have to eat every day, so do not feel bad if they skip a meal or two or even three.

Hope this helps a little.

Thanks a lot for posting. I may go the mixed wet/dry route then. I assume for wet, you'd recommend from the same 3 you recommended above? And, do you recommend following the labels to a T regarding daily proportions based on weight? The daily proportions always seem so amazingly low but if that's what to follow, perhaps I'll start that.

 

[akira3d]

Could you elaborate about dry food being risker than wet food?

Cat's are meat eaters and need protein rich diets. Most dry foods contain grains and fillers and these can lead to issues later down the line (like kidney disease). As was pointed out, cats do not need carbohydrates...and left unchecked will gain weight.

Interestingly enough, Lisa Pierson, the person who rescued (and from whom we adopted) Meeko, became something of an anti-dry food evangelist years later. Her views are perhaps on the more extreme-side, but we only discovered her views after Meeko's first bladder stone incident. She has a website: http://www.catinfo.org/. Note that she herself ended up adopting Meeko's sibling Amber...and Amber outlived Meeko (as far as I know, she is still alive).

We aren't going as far as doing an all raw diet, but we obviously reduced their intake of dry (and restricted it to a premium grain-free brand). We are still trying to find an alternative wet food for our girls. Right now they eat Friskies...from which some have referred to as junk food for cats...but supposedly this is still a better choice than putting them on an all dry food diet.

We also don't leave food out. They would eat it far too quickly. When we serve them dry food, we have to do it via a feeding tree to slow them down.

Thx for posting. Great photos too!!

Thank you! Here are a couple more:

 

[Yinzer]

Cat's are meat eaters and need protein rich diets. Most dry foods contain grains and fillers and these can lead to issues later down the line (like kidney disease). As was pointed out, cats do not need carbohydrates...and left unchecked will gain weight.

Thanks, I checked with my vet and have started feeding cans occasionally outside at meal times so he thinks it's a treat and not a substitute for dry food. I didn't check with my vet because I didn't trust what you suggested, I just want her to know all aspects of this one from day one, since I kept my prior cat on a strict dry diet for most of his life, and related or not, he developed diabetes late in life.

Murray is doing well, can't believe how big he got in just 6 months!