The Cat Thread

..one of the little shits I'm cat-sitting atm..

The hoover is usually a good deterent. I reckon there is a market for a wifi switch for hoovers that you can activate from a phone app just like a snooze button. 20 sec burst ought to do it.

When it started getting dark in the mornings the cats started attacking the bedroom door at stupid o clock. We've managed to get it back to sometime around 6 and 7 in the morning which is usually when I get up for work so that's OK. On weekends I just get up, feed them and go back to sleep. Any occaisional early outbursts are given a dose of shooing with ad hoc catflap posting. We've discovered that a round of pre bedtime playing usually keeps them happy for the night.

Not so beautiful:

2 Attachments

So we've been sending the wolf out with the camera for the past week or so, mostly footage of wandering through gardens, but got a tour of the massive garden at the end of our road (which we've always been curious about) two kitty mexican stand offs, and this morning it looks like we've got our first confirmed kill (a pigeon) on camera. Feel a bit like David Attenborough..

What did you do? Attach a GoPro to the cat?

Sort of, a go-pro for cats:
http://www.eyenimal.com/en/products/cat-videocam-1.html

Ha, very nice. Please post videos if possible!

Though, to be honest, in my mind I was picturing sort-of a rig mounted to a helmet (which would look way cooler)..
: P

Have you seen those go-pro rigs for dogs? hilairious.
The models do not look happy.

Haha!
No, haven't seen these yet...

I know a helmet-rig would not work really, but I guess it would be way cooler if the camera would follow the movement of the cats head instead of dangling from the neck...

Yeh its pretty jumpy at times and can make you feel a bit seasick if you look at it for prolonged periods. I have some old videos up here when the wolf was a lot younger http://wolfiewatch.blogspot.co.uk/ will add the others once I get a chance to edit them. I have a better camera now that will do infrared as well.

I have some old videos up here

This is so cool! Thanks for sharing..
Actually pretty funny when you see the front paws while he's wandering about, bit like in a first person shooter..
Also your cat does make really wicked sounds!
: ]

I know a helmet-rig

yes, don't we all?

Ha! Kitty-DOOM. I hadn't thought of it like that before.
I got some quality paw footage the other day, when he knocked the camera angle down, whilst crawling under something. It's also funny when he stops to drink.

So we're thinking of getting a little buddy for Basil, our 2 year Bengal cross (the twin of @c0gsucker 's Opie, by the looks of things). GF is pretty keen on a Tonkinese, my only worry is how Basil will take to it. What are people's experiences around bringing 2nd cats into homes? Basil is very friendly and is castrated, but just to be sure..

With a halo over one ear.

Have you upgraded then Clefty? If so, could I borrow the old one to see where James goes?

Ours hated each other for a while, then they disliked each other for a while longer, now they tolerate each other for the most part and get along quite well now and then.

Look at ways of socialising the cats, look at bothwell link for ideas.

Basil is very friendly and is castrated, but just to be sure..

There's no way to be sure, and Basil's friendliness with humans and his genital status doesn't make a huge difference to how he'll interact with another cat. Basil will see it as an imposition on his territory, and the new cat will see it as a terrifying experience akin to being dropped into the middle of the Predator jungle with only a jungle knife for survival. They're 90% likely to really fucking hate each other in the beginning, but will probably come to tolerate each other. In some cases they'll never come to like each other much, and will try to ignore each other as much as they can, with occasional fisticuffs. Sometimes they will engage in little wars against each other that you might not even notice are happening. Some cats who were littermates end up hating each other, for absolutely no reason at all, even when they've spent their entire lives together. It's really unusual for introduced cats to become friends (but it does happen!)

Generally speaking I'm against the idea of getting a second cat for the benefit of an existing cat, unless you've got a bloody good reason for doing it. It's a hugely stressful event for a cat, and not at all like it is with a dog, dogs love that shit. Cats are independent and territorial. If you really must do it then you'll probably get better results with a (neutered, obvs) kitten of the opposite sex. But do think about why you're doing it, really - Basil will not be thrilled with his new friend, even if you and your girlfriend are.

Food for thought, thanks very much @bothwell

Opie and Gomez hated each other for while, then we moved house and they bonded over a new territory and now they're best mates.

Gomez hates cars.

1 Attachment

I have indeed upgraded, you're welcome to borrow the old one, I thought it was impossible to get a collar on him though?

It's a LED light so you can find her more easily in the dark.

Just kidding, it's a fluorescent piece of plastic on a stick, in the background of the garden.

.

You need to attach one of those key finders on it. Whistle or clap and you know where it is.

Further news on stepish cat. The owners an I are getting on quite well. I now have some food for her when she pops over. When she appears we email each other to make sure she is not getting two feedings, think her owners were originally embaressed that the cat was travelling to other peoples homes, but happy that someone cared enough to look after the annoyance. The can is very chatty, to the point if I meow, where ever she is she meows back and comes to investigate why I meowed.