The Cute Animal Pics/Videos Thread

[Arcadia]

Darned if I know, because so far all I've been able to find is pictures of puppies. Perhaps they do not age?

[Van Buren Supernova]

 

What the...?

:D :D

 

I have met two Huskypom adults. One is pom size with poor-man husky face, as in it doesn't look as cool as husky but not exactly pom face. (Poor desription I know)

 

The other one is cute, medium size with nice husky-pom face but cooler (another lousy description)

 

Geez.. am I any help at all? :p

 

Oh oh the second one I saw actually looks like Shadow's dog in her avatar, eventhough hers is mongrel. Ask her! Ask her!

 

Dang, people keep bothering me with work. Don't they know I need to be here during working hour??

[Carol the Dabbler]

I googled the two names and got loads of photos and more sites than I cared to read. But VBS seems to have it about right -- depends on which genes come from which parent.

[Bluebell]

Hey y'all - my computer crashed completely on tuesday, so now I have to use more old but cute pictures from my photobucket, since I am currently in a café...

 

 

As I am also not having regular tv anymore, I just read on the news headline that Germany lost to Poland last night (football...).

 

(Actually it's not too bad being without tv and computer - I finally started reading books again at home :D , I am already half through a very cute cat book, where a cat goes to university and studies humans )

[Bluebell]

I have to correct myself: we didn't lose, but nobody achieved a goal in that match.

 

[Arcadia]

Aw, I want to pet the bunny.

 

Do bunnies like to be petted?

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Aw, I want to pet the bunny.

 

Do bunnies like to be petted?

 

Depends on the bunny.  I've seen it both ways with the rabbits friends of mine used to raise.

[Bluebell]

 

Aw, I want to pet the bunny.

 

Do bunnies like to be petted?

 

Depends on the bunny.  I've seen it both ways with the rabbits friends of mine used to raise.

 

 

True. Mine love it. Especially Helga. Gandalf is a bit shy and sometimes he's not in the mood, but generally he likes it. Helga is a real 'cuddle-bunny' (also a lot with Gandalf, they are so cute together ), but she only cuddles with people who she knows well and trusts (like me :D ).

[Arcadia]

Awwww.
 
I'm waiting for a cat to adopt me. The last couple of lovey-dovey cats I had became mine because they cuddled up with me without being asked; and remained cuddlers ever after. Want another one of those.
 
What's everyone's feeling on this subject: for the sake of the cat, is two cats better than one? Or can a cat be happy being solo? I'm gone from the house for long periods of time, sometimes, but not every day .... not even even every week. But I worry about my kitties being lonesome. My mom's always here but she's no longer attuned to the needs of a cat (as in, she won't hear it meow or remember it's here.) We keep them inside at night but let them roam the yard during the day. (I know, I know ... but in my experience cats are less neurotic if they get to go out and patrol their perimeter on a daily basis. ) (And we all know how neurotic cats are to begin with... :d )
 
The last time I had cats I got two, and it was a disaster, they almost ruined the house (a girl and a boy, both neutered, which I thought would be safe, but it wasn't.) And I think maybe an only child cat might be more prone to cuddling ... but I can't cuddle ALL the time! (Even when they insist ... I have to work sometimes!)
 
Plus the vet bills for even one are a challenge for poor starving artist me, although I manage if I have to. The last two were instructed that they were NOT allowed to get sick, and were surprisingly compliant about that until the very end. Took me two years to pay off their, er, departure fees, but I don't regret a penny of it, they were worth it.
 
So ... when I'm ready ... is one okay? Or is that cruel and I should get two? Thoughts?

[Carol the Dabbler]

Depends on the cats. Let's say you adopt the feline equivalents of Sherlock and John -- they'll get along famously. Sherlock and Anderson? Probably better to stick with just Sherlock. Also depends on when and how they're introduced. Best results I've seen (with several friends' cats) is a roughly three-year-old neutered male with a boy kitten. And (in my personal experience) males tend to be cuddlier than females, too.

 

A suggestion: Go to your favorite shelter (preferably a no-kill facility, where the staff gets to know the animals) and ask to meet their bonded pairs. Nearly every shelter has some that they hate to separate. Also ask to meet some of their loners. See how you hit it off.

[Arcadia]

No no-kill shelters around here, which is all the more reason I would go to one, actually ... rescue the kitty before it's offed. I've often ended up with cats instead of kittens, for that reason too ... they're in more immediate need of rescuing. But this time I think I want to hold out for someone younger.

 

I used to think males were cuddlier too, but after the last couple of females, I no longer think that.

 

I like the idea of trying to find somewhere that's actually familiar with the cats already, but again, around here .... not sure where that would be. I have a friend of a friend who takes care of strays, for example ... he's always got cats to give away, but I'm not sure how well he knows them.

 

But you're right, it's like dating ... I got to get out there so I can meet a few more potential mates! As I said, what I'm really waiting for is for a kitty to adopt me, not the other way round. The longing is becoming more powerful every day.......

[Carol the Dabbler]

... what I'm really waiting for is for a kitty to adopt me, not the other way round. The longing is becoming more powerful every day.......

Whenever Alex and I have been in that mood (sending out Kitty Vibes, we call it), it's never long before a cat or (usually) two (but not necessarily together) shows up. That's how we got Persea and Camilla, Nelly and Amy, Walter and Goldie, and Dora and Cecil. And come to think of it, those cats seem to have fit into the feline household better than the ones who showed up alone, like Daisy and Sarah.

[Caya]

I'm a dog person and have little experience with cats, but at least with dogs, there are gregarious ones and then there are those who love to have their home to themselves (can or cannot rule out being happy to meet other dogs at the doggie park and such). If (if!) that's applicable to cats you might be able to get one of the my-home-is-MINE cats if that's easier for you. Also, cats can sleep away half a day just fine (at least my former boyfriend's Maine Coon did) so I wouldn't worry too much about their being bored. If you have a window to a yard, preferrably with some animal action, all the better (cat TV).

 

[Arcadia]

Oh, believe me, cats get bored! Can be quite the little monsters when they are, too. Thank heavens for string. :d

 

This all came up because I've read a couple of vet columns where they advocate two cats, so your darlings don't pine away from lonliness. But I have to admit, I question those columns because they also recommend herbal remedies, special handmade meals, and things like that ... maybe they're right, and maybe they're wrong, but it makes me more skeptical than I might be otherwise that they are actual "experts." My real-life vet never recommended anything like that, and he's the one that actually saved my kitty's life one time, soooo......

 

Mostly I guess I'm just wondering if anyone else has heard or believes that ... that it's "unkind" to have only one cat. But yeah, I guess it can also depend on the cat.

 

 

[SherlockedCAMPer]

If the cat were forced to be indoors all the time then 2 would probably be better.  Since it will be allowed outside, there is always the chance that a stray stops by for a visit even with a fenced in yard.  Also to help save you money, cats only need to be immunized once.  Their shots last them their entire lives I found out from my aunt a cat lover and all for keeping up on vaccines from years of working as a surgical tech for humans.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Oh, believe me, cats get bored! Can be quite the little monsters when they are, too. Thank heavens for string. :D

 

Unfortunately, string can be a very dangerous toy for a cat.  Some cats tend to swallow "linear foreign objects" and even a fairly short piece can kill a cat by bunching up its intestines like a drawstring.

 

For more info, google on

cat string danger

As one of those sites says, "yarn is very dangerous for cats. So is string. And dental floss, fishing line, Christmas tinsel, Easter grass, ribbon, and any similar long, thread-like item."

[Arcadia]

Oh, I know all about string. Don't worry, I don't leave them unsupervised with it. But it's a fabulous toy.

 

I had one cat you had to watch like a hawk whenever you had a rubber band. He'd do anything to get one in his mouth, the little stinker. I'm pretty sure he managed to swallow a couple before we caught on, but he never seemed to suffer from it. He also liked to suck on these little tassels on one of the throws we kept in the tv room, like he was nursing. He was a weird cat, but wonderful. I still miss him.

[Arcadia]

If the cat were forced to be indoors all the time then 2 would probably be better.  Since it will be allowed outside, there is always the chance that a stray stops by for a visit even with a fenced in yard.  Also to help save you money, cats only need to be immunized once.  Their shots last them their entire lives I found out from my aunt a cat lover and all for keeping up on vaccines from years of working as a surgical tech for humans.

True, we do have visits from neighbor cats. My boy cat and a neighbor cat liked to sit and stare at each other. What they got out of it, I don't know, but they never got tired of it.

[Van Buren Supernova]

I finally started reading books again at home :D , I am already half through a very cute cat book, where a cat goes to university and studies humans )

Maybe a cat can finally tell us what is going on, we have been around for so log as we still don't have good understanding of our species.

 

True, we do have visits from neighbor cats. My boy cat and a neighbor cat liked to sit and stare at each other. What they got out of it, I don't know, but they never got tired of it.

They are waiting for you to keep the staring contest score. Geez. :P

 

We had lone cat before and she/he were doing fine. (I had one she and one he at different time period).

They just mind their own business, keep themselves busy (actually I'm not really sure what they were doing whole day, we didn't have any toys at that time). They didn't destroy anything, just occasionally dropping things that got in their way (including four-course freshly cooked meal I tried to whip out for my brothers when my parents were travelling for something urgent, the whole table crashed to the floor, I still suspect one of the brothers asked the cat to do that), they didn't destroy furnitures but the lower part of my jeans were really thin because that was where they go for sharpening the claws.

 

There were always human around, they did ask for affection and like to sit on the lap and purring loud, but mostly they were very independent, lounged around, slept a lot, but sneaked out during mating season one or two times. The boy could roam freely in the yard but we kept the girl at home although she managed to sneak out and got pregnant (cats!). Well, it was long long time ago, sterilising animals was never an option, as vet were really rare and we stayed far far away from 'town'. All our animals were adopted, except one, we didn't understand the psychology of animals so mostly we just housed, fed and took care of them the best we know. But to think back, I'm quite sure they were indeed solitary cat and did very well that way.

 

My dog, now, I have to admit that I worry he gets lonely when I am working. So I provide as much time as I can afford, and bring him to the beach to socialise and have fun thrice a week, even though I live a distance away, and practically wake up every day before dawn so that I have more time for him before work. I'm not sure but he seems happy, and everytime he went back to my friend whenever I am overseas, he always seems exhausted (from too much socializing? they have 5 dogs) and very rugged because eventhough they take care of him, they don't have time to groom him (which is why they ask me to adopt him), so I try not to feel guilty and hope that he is indeed not lonely. I have cctv at home, installed that after security fright some time ago, now I put it to monitor him and he seems alright when I'm not around.

[Van Buren Supernova]

 

... what I'm really waiting for is for a kitty to adopt me, not the other way round. The longing is becoming more powerful every day.......

Whenever Alex and I have been in that mood (sending out Kitty Vibes, we call it), it's never long before a cat or (usually) two (but not necessarily together) shows up. That's how we got Persea and Camilla, Nelly and Amy, Walter and Goldie, and Dora and Cecil. And come to think of it, those cats seem to have fit into the feline household better than the ones who showed up alone, like Daisy and Sarah.

 

Love the names!

[Carol the Dabbler]

I've often ended up with cats instead of kittens ... they're in more immediate need of rescuing. But this time I think I want to hold out for someone younger.

 

One thing to be careful of with kittens is electrical cords, especially when they're teething -- and some cats never seem to outgrow that phase. We nearly lost Persea at ten months that way.

[Arcadia]

 

True, we do have visits from neighbor cats. My boy cat and a neighbor cat liked to sit and stare at each other. What they got out of it, I don't know, but they never got tired of it.

They are waiting for you to keep the staring contest score. Geez. :P

 

Oh. I guess I really should have figured it out, at that. How silly of me!

 

There were always human around, they did ask for affection and like to sit on the lap and purring loud, but mostly they were very independent, lounged around, slept a lot, but sneaked out during mating season one or two times. The boy could roam freely in the yard but we kept the girl at home although she managed to sneak out and got pregnant (cats!). Well, it was long long time ago, sterilising animals was never an option, as vet were really rare and we stayed far far away from 'town'. All our animals were adopted, except one, we didn't understand the psychology of animals so mostly we just housed, fed and took care of them the best we know. But to think back, I'm quite sure they were indeed solitary cat and did very well that way.

Yes, that's about the situation when I was growing up. The only time we took a cat to the vet was after he'd been hit by a car (he didn't make it. :( )  They got put outside at night, every night, irregardless of preference or conditions, and there was no such thing as a litter box, scratching post, or cat hotel (!) I've actually felt quite guilty about it for years, but that's just how it was done back then, at least in my household.

 

When we moved to the busy suburbs of Virginia, however, and lost another cat to the busy road out front, the light finally dawned that maybe putting them out at night wasn't such a good idea. So I started keeping them in at night. Took forever to retrain the rest of my family, though. :D (They thought I was being "over-protective.")

 

 

I've often ended up with cats instead of kittens ... they're in more immediate need of rescuing. But this time I think I want to hold out for someone younger.

One thing to be careful of with kittens is electrical cords, especially when they're teething -- and some cats never seem to outgrow that phase. We nearly lost Persea at ten months that way.

 

That's one reason I'm thinking young cat, but not a kitten ... I'm not sure I have the time to monitor a kitten properly. Although I think starting with a kitten would be the best way to get the kind of cat I want ... train it myself! But my last several cats have been of the middle-aged variety and we got along fine. Well, except for one ... he was a biter. Obviously very poor upbringing, probably some idiot thought it was cute when he was a kitten and encouraged the behavior, then couldn't handle it when he got to be a big hefty adult and so got rid of him. I managed to gentle him a bit, but he never quite broke the habit ... you had to know how to handle him or look out.

[Bluebell]

 

I've often ended up with cats instead of kittens ... they're in more immediate need of rescuing. But this time I think I want to hold out for someone younger.

One thing to be careful of with kittens is electrical cords, especially when they're teething -- and some cats never seem to outgrow that phase. We nearly lost Persea at ten months that way.

 

 

That is something I guess all 'non-cage-pets' seem to have in common...put away the electric stuff, because they love to chew it or play with it. Gandalf killed once two internet-wires - but when Helga was new, she almost ripped out a whole power socket depite the child-proof lock! It's a miracle she survived that....now all the power sockets are behind bars, all the wires are hidden in tunnels and 'caged' too, also the corners of the walls have those kitty-scratchwoods so they won't eat the masonry....

 

When I thought about getting a cat I thought about the same things like if it would be lonely at home while I am working, and if my flat would be big enough. I guess I would have ended up with a very old cat who is just happy about a warm place and a person who feeds and pets it from time to time. And it would be too small for two cats.

My neighbours in the house across the backyard have two cute cats, they have a bigger flat and a balcony. The cats are often sitting on the balcony and watch the birds in the backyard. They are obviously indoor cats - I would be sick with worry around here if I had outdoor cats because of the highly busy traffic outside. Just since last week there's another cat missing who possibly had been an outdoor cat...so I think cats are way better for people who have at least a house and a garden or a huge living space. Just like with the dogs. Except you're like my one neighbour, who is constantly outside with his dog. I don't know what his profession is though, so I think cats and dogs are a tough decision for people who have a work that forces them to leave the pets at home.

[Arcadia]

That's a good point too ... I'm sometimes gone for a whole day, for example, but by and large I'm at home. And I have the yard. Although the kitty stays inside when I'm gone from home.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I'd say that the choice between indoor-only and indoor-outdoor is partly up to the cat. Kittens are pretty flexible, but a cat that's used to going out may insist on retaining that privilege -- though our cats are strictly indoors, and at least one of them used to be a farm cat.

 

Just about anywhere, outdoors is more dangerous. In the city, there's traffic and rat poison and antifreeze leaks, to say as little as possible about evil "catnappers" who snatch outdoor pets and sell them to medical research facilities. And in the country there's coyotes and hawks and owls, as well as sparser but faster traffic. And they can get lost if they're outdoors anywhere.

 

My preference (obviously!) is to keep my cats indoors at all times, preferably with lots of places where they can sit and watch the birds. YMMV.