The Cat Thread

Oh mate I am so sorry for your loss. Sounds like she had a fab life though.
Remember all your adventures.

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😅

Long time no see everyone, I am moving out of London in a month or so, this furballl has lived in the same place since she came to me almost 10 years ago. I can't drive, so what's the best way to move her? Any suggestion?

I am toying beteween putting her in a cat hotel the night before, get myself and stuff moved, then come back the next day to pick her up and take the train, so 2 nights in a cat hotel. Or go with the removal van with her or a friend has offered to drive us on the same day... not sure which is the least stressful option for her

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What is this yoga?

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Has Patch spent the night at a cat hotel before?
If not, I'd probably my friend up on the offer to drive if it was me

We left ours at a cat hotel for a couple of nights just so we could get basic furniture etc setup in our new place before they arrived. Then at least they have some familiar sleeping spots even if they're in a new environment. We didn't want to be worrying about them panicking because we were trying to lift sofas over their heads, and potentially running out of the door whilst we were moving stuff.

Late to the game here, but I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you are feeling a lot better now. Sounds like you gave her a wonderful life.

When I moved house, I moved my stuff to the new house before moving the cats - I thought it would be better to have a litter box etc all set up once they arrived, rather than their first memories of the new house being heavy things moving about and scary people. Also I wanted to unpack a bit without a cat immediately jumping into a box...
However, that only worked because I was moving in the same city! In your case, I'd do it all at once and set up a cat room in the new place for your cat to chill out in while you unpack - so it's all done in one go.

@MisterMikkel no, she has not spent a single night anywhere other than this flat in the last 10 years. I always move people in when I need to go away.

@chiroshi how did they react when you picked them up and arrived in their new home?

@hats There will be a spare room in the new house and I plan to stop washing her blankets etc soon so I am taking her smell with her. So maybe I should drive up (or rather my friend) and leave the cat and some basic supply in the spare room for her when the guys move things in?

Gosh this is getting quite stressful even for me, I have lived in my current flat for almost 15 years, thats almost my entire adulthood, so when I moved in, it was a man and a van with just a few boxes. I remember only paqying him £30 to move from East London to South London. hahaha...

They were ok, we were sure to have a room setup with all their familiar things and smells, then they could slowly make their way around discovering the new place at their own pace.
Our previous move we kept them in a room for two days (I'm not sure on what advice) but I think that was a bit much. They were more stressed by being locked in a room and not able to see us than just by being in a new place.

Us hoomans are a lot more important that the environment! ;-)

Watching his little tv

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Just a normal sleeping position

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so cute! are they siblings?

Yes, brother (on top in that pic) and sister.

They sleep on my desk whenever I'm at the computer.

names, age, favourite food, favourite hooman, most hated things???? Tell us everything!!!

Getting into those niche Belgian road races

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names, age, favourite food, favourite hooman, most hated things???? Tell us everything!!!

They're the rescue of a rescue. A friend of a colleague took in a stray that wasn't chipped and turned out to be pregnant. The litter was all accounted for except for the boy (on top in that pic), and then the person who had said they'd take the girl (on the bottom in that pic) also pulled out. I was out drinking in a bar with my colleague who happened to say "Don't suppose you know anyone that wants kittens?" and I'd had enough drink that I said yes, me.

They are both 18m old now, we got them about 9-10 weeks in.

The boy is Orpheus, though we call him Orphée. He's a little silly at times, full of bravado but actually scaredy. Very very expressive face and character, reminds us of a Porg one moment, and then looks intelligent and philosophical the next — he's very emotional, doesn't like not being close, and always has to know what's going on. He is food motivated, and always on the hunt for food. Orphée is loved more by my partner.

The girl is Persephone, though we call her Sephi. She's really smart, very aware, watches, is not food motivated at all, and prefers play but it has to be a good game. She's extraordinarily affectionate and likes to feel safe. She sleeps on one of my legs every night, and will climb onto me for cuddles in the evening, and is sleeping on my desk right now. But she doesn't crowd or need attention, it's on her terms. Sephi is loved more by me.

As for food - they both absolutely love Katkin and eat every morsel and never really bay for food. Heartily recommend Katkin, in fact have a referral code: https://katkin.mention-me.com/m/ol/zx8vi-david-kitchen (gets you 50% off if you try it out).

Seriously — I recommend Katkin, they love the stuff (and their poo stinks a lot lot less)

They're indoor cats, so they probably hate their prison — but if they do they haven't shown it, that play, their coats are glossy and lovely soft, they sleep well.

They are slowly destroying the soft furnishings and eating the plants though, and so the place is become more cat-proof by the day.

10 minutes after taking this photo I had to free this idiot (it's temporary fencing for a wildflower meadow)

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At least you didn't end up with the whole litter. Friend's friend bought him a fat boy cat who turned out to be neither boy nor fat! hahaha!

I have a slight sad story to tell. My friend's parents' cat gave birth to a little of 4 in 2017, 1 died shortly, so there were 3, friend took 1 - Vera, her friend took 1 - Pasty, but nobody wanted Eyebrows (Yap, I named her). In fact my friend had initially waned Eyebrows but after playing with the litter for a while, she changed her mind and went with Vera.

I had been talking and thinking for weeks if I should take Eyebrows home, but knowing Patch, I was really worried that she would not accepct another cat and I would have to make the tough decision to return Eyebrows after falling in love with her. So I didn't... this very debate came up almost everytime I would meet with my friend, but she reamined in my friend's parents' unitl 2021/2022. Her parents don't speak very good English and keeping cats is mostly for catching mice etc, so despite having an actual name, she was basically called Cat 2 her entire life, Mama cat is Cat 1.

Yes, I am using past tense to describe Eyebrows, because one day in 2021/2022 she left home and never returned. Friend's dad thought she got run over by a car or something. To date, I still think about Eyebrows now and again and everytime, I regret not taking her home. Maybe Patch and her wouldn't get on, maybe they would, maybe they would take one corner of the flat each, maybe they would sleep together everynight, but at least she would still be a happy 6 years old kitty... I miss Eyebrows and I will never know if Patch and Eyebrows would get on.

So if you see a cat you like and have connection, take it home!!!

Friday cat pictures:

Rabbit feet

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look cute, then launch surprise attack

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K den

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My oldiewonk Toppy

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