What is your pet doing right now?*

[ian]

Well, the blood doesn't seem to be Bad Cat's, leastways we couldn't find any injuries. I guess she came out tops against GGMFC, which didn't seem likely but I was fortunately in the kitchen when it kicked off so intervened quickly with the laser-guided slipper from the kitchen door. I don't fancy Bad Cat's chances for all fifteen rounds. Her usual fighting strategy against LMC is to lie on her back, legs akimbo, making pitiful yowling noises as LMC savages her exposed belly. Considering the lack of teeth involved, I don't think it's worthy of the yowling.

[hellymedic]

David says Big Tom has been singing to Luna.

Big Tom has sung quite a lot lately.

Luna is a shy feral stray who hungrily gobbles our cats' leftovers.

Our cats seem to be eschewing their Felix.

[T42]

Ezra's feeling sorry for himself.  Stitched-up face and a cone on, can't scratch and keeps catching it on doorposts and so forth. Also having trouble peeing, vet suspects prostate tumour & possibly generalized cancer.  Biopsy results in 10+ days.

Two weeks on, took the wee fellow off to the vet to have the stitches removed.  All good news: wounds healing well, facial tumours were benign and probably due to his brother hauling him about by the face (the Mr. Waverly folds* make convenient handles). So much for their saliva having curative properties.

All home and happy now.

*

[PaulF]

Being anxious; we’re going away for the night and she’s worried she’ll be left behind.

[essexian]

I've just been trimming the bushes in the front paddock and had sufficient cuttings to take to the skip....sorry, recycling centre.... so I filled the car up and off I went only to stop a mile from home, turned around, drive back and then remove Jamise the cat from under the back seat..... he had climbed in the car when I was loading it and hidden away. I only found him when I heard his meowing! 

I know he is old but he isn't ready for recycling just yet!

[SteveC]

Sitting on my lap with his head on my left arm, fast asleep.
There are two things wrong with this: it's not comfortable as I'm on the computer chair; and it's not our cat!
He's a neighbour from two doors down who has decided he owns every house on the estate. Very friendly and incredibly fit and active for 16.

[essexian]

Purrdee the kitten just tried a worm for taste.....

She didn't like it one bit!

Back to eating flies with her....must get her onto cat food one day!

[hellymedic]

Blackie woke us with miaowing and seems to have painted most of our carpets and a duvet cover with the sticky black mineral oil on her tail. We've not seen her since and she has not been fed.

David is worried that the oil might have harmed her.

[rafletcher]

Probably miaowing pitifully as she's driven home from the cattery. It'll be interesting to see what she does when she gets out of her carrier here!

[T42]

Telling me I need to get off the computer & go downstairs.

[PaulF]

Back from the groomers so rolling on the grass to get rid of the itchy hairs and scrounging for food

[hellymedic]

Still not seen Blackie.
David is distraught.

[hellymedic]

Blackie returned in the small hours, oilier than before.

She's back again now.

Being ex-feral, she doesn't like much contact and is shunning David's attempts to clean her.

Blackie is very long-haired and her fur is really matted.

How do you clean an oily cat?

We're trying to brush her with vegetable oil as she really didn't like the cat wipes.

[spesh]

Blackie returned in the small hours, oilier than before.

She's back again now.

Being ex-feral, she doesn't like much contact and is shunning David's attempts to clean her.

Blackie is very long-haired and her fur is really matted.

How do you clean an oily cat?

We're trying to brush her with vegetable oil as she really didn't like the cat wipes.

ISTR that there was, quite some time ago, a thread on cleaning cats...

<flexes forum search-fu and is mildly surprised to find the thread in question on the first pass>

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=51485.0

Welder's gloves and plate armour are strongly recommended. I wouldn't suggest taking anything that Andrij or I posted in the thread too seriously though. 

[hellymedic]

David made further attempts to clean Blackie, first with sunflower oil and the with cat shampoo  and water, which only served to cause her to march out in disgust.
We've not seen Blackie since Friday night and are concerned.
Big Tom is drinking much more than he did this time last year; hope he's not developing diabetes.
Big Tom sang again to Luna last night.

[hellymedic]

I've seen Blackie in the garden but she's not tried to come inside.

Big Tom has taken my usual seat and is resting there.

Again

[ian]

Cats take bathshyness to the extreme. LMC got all oily when she ran off (because collar of shame) and got wedged under parked car (because collar of shame). There's no way anyone can clean her, she's mental, even the vet and two nurses generally can't hold her (they admitted defeat when she pooed down the vet's front). Just to look in her mouth requires a general anaesthetic. It probably wasn't good for, but other than a few stealth wipes with a damp, soapy kitchen towel, we left her to it.

Bad Cat is easier. She yowls and complains, but can be held and cleaned, she pretty much doesn't scratch or bite, just makes her displeasure with the indignity known at some volume. We've never tried (or needed to) bath her, but it's theoretically possible.

Cat water drinking varies, and depends how much they're getting from sundry dank puddles outside. LMC likes puddles and foetid water. Bad Cat only deigns to drink fresh water from the tap.

[hellymedic]

Blackie returned yesterday afternoon, miaowing a lot but seemed exhausted. She appeared less bedraggled and fed well, after which she went upstairs for a rest of several hours. She allows David to brush her with sunflower oil but shuns E45 lotion.
She's disappeared this morning.
As has Big Tom.

I suspect they'll be back for eats later, will the little stray.

Little stray gobbles ALL she is offered, unlike our spoilt cats!

[pcolbeck]

She was keeping guard at the patio doors in case of garden invasion by her mortal enemies the dreaded squirrels. Has now fallen over and gone to sleep instead. I expect the squirrels will be pulling faces at her through the glass any second now.

[menthel]

Probably having doggie nightmares about stag beetles. A HOOOOOOOOGE one turned up in the garden and she spent a good 20 minutes jumping 3 feet in the air and barking at it before running away to hide on the sofa.

[hellymedic]

Blackie has not been seen since Monday.
She was still heavily oiled then.
We are worried.

[ian]

Bad Cat barfed on the bed. Double points for doing it while I was in the bed sleeping. Triple for sheer volume. Quadruple for doing so at 5.42 am. I hereby appoint you Lady Barfolomew for services to my sense of profound disgust.

Then when I got home I found something dug up my veg. I didn't see this happen, but Bad Cat has form.

LMC on the other hand just sits outside waiting for my wife to come back. Cat, she's been gone a week.

[hellymedic]

Still no sign of Blackie 

David thinks she's dead. 

[essexian]

Still no sign of Blackie 

David thinks she's dead. 

I do hope not.

Cats can bounce back when you least expect it. Take "Albert" as an example. Albert is a very old cat who seemed almost completely blind: he would walk into things, but found his way to our door most evenings for a free meal. Well, just after Christmas he stopped coming around so we figured he end had arrived.

However, come Sunday evening last I was locking up our security gates when who was sitting there waiting for tea? Yes, Albert.  He looked as he had five months earlier and ate a whole meal as normal. We haven't seen him since.

Cats, especially ones with a large range can go missing for ages. We have another cat who uses our house (he is currently asleep in the shed) "Eric" who often doesn't come around for weeks, where as other times he doesn't move from the garden.

I would like to say I know things will be okay but that would be wrong of me. Instead, I hope everything turns out well and the moggy returns.

[ian]

It might just be an extended sulk over the entire cleaning incident. Cats can harbour a grudge for precisely as long as alternative sources of food are available.

We kidnapped out first cat (Lamb Chop) from Shepherd's Bush (she was a stray we found under the steps, gradually moved in with us, but wasn't quite ready for the leap to SE London) she sulked under a bed for five entire days. Didn't emerge once. Weirdly she didn't even pee or poop under there. Just sat there, scrunched up and unresponsive. A week later, happy as pie discovering her own garden.