Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
At The Back => The Dressing Room => Topic started by: HTH AMPS on June 30, 2012, 12:32:37 AM
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I present Belle and Amalie, my two kittens I picked up today from a rescue centre - they were found abandoned a couple of weeks back, so I'm taken them both in. They're gorgeous little balls of fur, soft as owt and love being fussed over.
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Not what I was expecting, but oh so cute! :D
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Excellent- good to see lovely little kittens getting a home and even better that they have a home together. We have three rescue cats.
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Cheers guys.
Btw, does anyone have experience with cat insurance?
They're not even old enough to need their 9 week injections or to be spayed, so I'm wondering if that increases the cost of insuring them. Some rough quotes I've got show that I can insure them both for around £10.00 a month, so I'm ok with that, however if it can be cheaper, then I'd rather keep pennies in my pocket.
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Excellent- good to see lovely little kittens getting a home and even better that they have a home together. We have three rescue cats.
Yes , it is most heartwarming to see them rescued to a much better life. :D
I am down from my original 3 rescue cats , to just one now, due to bereavement . As the remaining chap has waited over ten years to have my full attention, ( and is himself 12 years old by now) - I am not taking in another - and upseting him. I do tend to feed tasty 'picnics' to the neighbour's rescue cats and any good natured 'visitors' to the street's cat community areas. I not only love cats ( as you may have gathered :lol: ) but I also feel that if someone else homes a rescue cat, I will at least feed them during the day - and provide a safe zone, whilst their domestic staff are out at work.
Regarding insurance, I was always put off by the following 4 factors :
1) All I encountered stipulated a £100 excess for each 'new' series of vet visits / tests / illness.
2) They would not cover preventative / comfort providing dental treatment , unless the cat's mouth was in a bad way. This I find reprehensible - as the many cats I had shared a house with this last few decades - had all needed quite regular dental treatments, especially into middle and old age.
3) Certain viral / bacterial infections that have caused very worrying and potentially life threatening illnesses , would not have been covered - as they are often considered as ' pre-existing conditions' as of course the cat ( like us ) naturally carries many dormant organisms , but if they suddenly proliferate ( as happened to my older cat very recently ) the result can be quite major.
4) The same again with renal problems , in that they may cover blood tests and late life medications at their discression, , but as cats usually go into renal distress after a life of eating Protein, protein and more protein - any reluctance to cover these conditions seems about as unfair as trying to dodge routinine dental issues.
Of course after a cat is 8 years old (o.n.o) - you usually cannot get an insurance company to touch them with a barge pole, ; which is grim news for those wanting to home / rescue the mature cat.
I hope that you can get a much better deal than that, but those are the issues encountered by myself and a 'cat rescuing' neighbour of mine this last 20 years or so.
Meanwhile , I am delighted you gave the little darlings a god home, well played Sir ! :D
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Nice work Ian - love 'em, as a cat servant myself :lol:
We've used PetPlan insurance for around 12 years. They may not be the cheapest but we've had SERIOUS payouts from them on 3 different cats who had heart problems - we're talking several thousand at a time. I can't recommend them enough.
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Thanks for the comments guys - will check out Petplan too Dave.
It's amazing how much they've settled in only having them since yesterday evening. Belle is the explorer, follows me everywhere and gets places where you'd never imagine such a small cat could climb to, ha ha. Amalie can eat and sleep for England and loves chasing her own shadow. They both love using me as a climbing frame and have warmed to sitting on my shoulders, one either side, quite bizarre. Belle is the one who is crazy about being fussed over and purrs like crazy. Amalie likes her own space a bit more.
After the first carpet accident yesterday, I was glad to see they'd used the litter tray during the night - catch on fast :D
I'm gonna have to watch their claws on my chest though, they've scratched me to bits and I'm due to get some tattoo work done on my chest this week.
I'm totally over the moon with these guys and the feel-good factor from taking in two abandoned sisters and seeing how happy they are is awesome.
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Yep, always feels good to have rescue pets :)
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They are beautiful Ian.
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Abandoned ? Unbelievable. So pleased they now have a loving home.
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I'm having to be 'Mam' at this point as they haven't picked up some of the things that the mother would've taught them. Amalie puts her entire face in the food bowl and gets covered, so I've had to clean her up (much to her displeasure). Both need their behinds cleaning a bit too, but they've both been washing themselves a tiny bit, so hopefully they will start grooming each other a bit more as time goes on.
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I'm having to be 'Mam' at this point as they haven't picked up some of the things that the mother would've taught them. Amalie puts her entire face in the food bowl and gets covered, so I've had to clean her up (much to her displeasure). Both need their behinds cleaning a bit too, but they've both been washing themselves a tiny bit, so hopefully they will start grooming each other a bit more as time goes on.
Aww bless , :)
Thankfully their intrinsic nature ( usually ) quickly turns them into creatures of fastidious habits. At this stage they are still 'getting the hang' of it all. I feel contempt for whoever abandoned them.
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^ +1
whoever abandoned these two must have a heart of stone, how could you do that to this face...
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Class..............hope you havent got any open backed cabs Ian :D
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Very cute! Congrats, and good luck!
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Rather endearingly, Oscar offered protection . :)
(http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u135/Fourth_Feline/4484dbba.jpg)
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I once took on a kitten that we saw advertised for sale.The owners were rough sort of people and the kitten was, in my view, way too young to leave her mother.The guy was very nonchalant and not very pleasant so we took her and paid him his £5.00 or whatever it was. I took her to the vet a few days later and the vet said she was about 5 or 6 weeks old- thus confirming my views. We had to teach her to be a cat but we had an elder one who, although male, took it upon himself to mother her. She went on to grow into a lovely little affectionate cat but, alas, was hit by a car when about 4 years old. At least all the while she was ours, she was doted on.
Your new arrivals look beautiful. We went to a rehoming session today-not to take on another ( we can't -our own are all traumatised and highly strung and another arrival might upset them) but we like to support the events by buying loads of stuff ( Mrs 38th spent £118.00 on jam/marmalade and I cam back with arms full of books). There was a lovely cat there called Mike that I was quite keen on though but happily it looks like he has an offer of as home.
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Rather endearingly, Oscar offered protection . :)
(http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u135/Fourth_Feline/4484dbba.jpg)
He's a majestic fella, can show my two the ropes.
Amalie is eating me out of house and home and is full of energy, follows me everywhere and cries for me when she can't see me (awww).
Belle isn't doing so well, she's barely eating and has got runny poo with blood in and some kind of white discharge from her behind. She's slept a lot today and generally not been very energetic. Vets first thing in the morning, though I have no idea how I'll pay for it after the outlay I've had on them in the past few days. I just hope the vets take pity and allow me to pay them in instalments.
Sorry to hear about your little one 38th, poor little 'un. Like you say though, at least you doted on her for the time she was here.
I know I'm not gonna sleep tonight worrying about Belle, you can see she's not right.
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^ +1
whoever abandoned these two must have a heart of stone, how could you do that to this face...
Yeah, yeah. You wait until she's at your amp scratching on the grill cloth at 3 in the morning. How cute will she look then? Huh???
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^ +1
whoever abandoned these two must have a heart of stone, how could you do that to this face...
Yeah, yeah. You wait until she's at your amp scratching on the grill cloth at 3 in the morning. How cute will she look then? Huh???
I've foreseen this in a kind of Yoda way (use the force HTH) and I've got all my amp stuff in my workshop room which they don't get into. Anyway, there's only my test 1x12 in here that I use for repairs - all the gigging stuff is at our lockup.
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I hope tomorrow's Vet visit with Belle goes o.k.
Oscar had a very bad Gastric bug a couple of weeks back, and I was watching him almost around the clock for 6 days. At the outset ( and before we got the results of the ultra-sound , and blood tests ) It was looking like I would lose him , as organ failure had not yet been ruled out. Like you, I was beside myself with worry. I mention all that, because anti-biotics and round the clock T.L.C brought him back to the land of the living. I would thus hope Belle will also be 'turned round' - due to your loving vigilance in noticing her plight.
The thought of Amelie calling for you when you are not in sight is also touching. :) Even at 12 years old Oscar ( as did his previous house mates ) always shouts down the steps after a sleep - and 'Squeaks' in a charmingly girly voice when he wants a wrestling game . The fact that they feel so bonded and safely integrated into our lives , is a great treasure to behold. I saved mine once, and they saved me 1,000 times. :D
Please let us know about Belle, ; I will keep an eye on the forum for the update.
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^ +1
whoever abandoned these two must have a heart of stone, how could you do that to this face...
Yeah, yeah. You wait until she's at your amp scratching on the grill cloth at 3 in the morning. How cute will she look then? Huh???
I've foreseen this in a kind of Yoda way (use the force HTH) and I've got all my amp stuff in my workshop room which they don't get into. Anyway, there's only my test 1x12 in here that I use for repairs - all the gigging stuff is at our lockup.
To be fair, mine has been having a go at the grill cloth on my Framus 2x12 for years, and has never left a mark. Well, just a little mud sometimes. Well, it's mostly mud, I think.
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Belle is at the vets now, they're keeping her there till this evening to get some food into her and give her some anti-biotics/injections. The vet said she was nice and lively so wasn't too concerned. Amalie will get some medicine tonight for me to give her, just to be on the safe side.
I'm feeling a bit better after the vet's reassurances, but will be happier when she's home and doing better.
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:) That's good news, I was fearing the worst after reading your earlier post!
Not that I know anything about veterinary medicine, but young kittens are so tiny and delicate!
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Good to hear of encouraging ( interim ) news ! :D As you said, it feels a 'done job' when she actually gets home.
Wise move about also dosing Amelie, as my old chap was found to have had Campyla Bacteria, which of course is one of those Zoonoses that can infect both the other cats and humans. 'Nip it in the bud' as they say. I look forward to hearing of Belle's safe return home. :)
( See also adjacent / obliquely topical thread, "Sittin' on the toilet" - by Miss D-ranged... ).
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Belle is back from the vets, is much more full of life - back chewing the leads on my transformer stock, chasing shadows and fighting with Amalie. She's in the wars though, no sooner was she back but she'd jumped off the sofa and was limping. That was a couple of hours ago and a call to the vets reassured me that it seems to be soft tissue damage and nothing serious. Gonna have to watch this one like a hawk. Amalie just cries for me all the time, climbs up my legs and plonks herself on my lap for more fussing :lol:
Belle at least is eating now, got some paste-like tins which are essentially 'get better' food. Also some rehydration sachets to give her. Amalie has taken a liking to Belle's special food, so I'm having to keep it out of the way, ha ha. Both have some tablets to take, but they're doing fine other than the little bumps and scr@pes of them running all over the place and climbing to seemingly impossible places - I'm fully expecting a kitten on my curtain rail one morning.
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:lol:
Brilliant stuff !
It's genuinely great to know that Belle was not about to deprive you of 50% of your new found joys. :) As a species, they certainly know how to delight and entertain - and of course they are much more affectionate and loyal than many people assume. I must say "Bravo !" once more for your decision to rescue them - and follow that through with excellent care. All the very best for many happy ( and healthy ) years ahead . :)
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Gorgeous cats!
Some friends of mine recently found a kitten in there garden and the proceeded to adopt it.
Here she is playing in a hamster ball. https://www.dropbox.com/s/27d4c5uyijj4bgu/10150707317362606_57531.mp4
I cat sat for them a week ago, she stealthed her way into the spare room where the dwarf hamster is kept, opened the cage that took me a good 15 mins to figure out myself...I walked in on her with her head in the cage and the hamster cowering behind a log.
They're an endless joy :D
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Great news- I have been thinking about her today and I am pleased she has bounced back so swiftly.
When I got home from work today there was a cat sitting looking rather forlorn in my front garden and as it was raining I was very concerned. I thought at first it ( turned out to be a He) had perhaps been hit by a car but he was fine-if a little wet. I called the owner as he was wearing a collar and she came and collected him.He was a bit off his beat and may have been lost but I found that he is called Basil and has a habit of just sitting in strange places looking forlorn. Anyway, his "mum" was a lovely lady who lives up the road so maybe he has learned that the studied melancholic disposition is a great way of attracting attention.
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Gorgeous cats!
Some friends of mine recently found a kitten in there garden and the proceeded to adopt it.
Here she is playing in a hamster ball. https://www.dropbox.com/s/27d4c5uyijj4bgu/10150707317362606_57531.mp4
I cat sat for them a week ago, she stealthed her way into the spare room where the dwarf hamster is kept, opened the cage that took me a good 15 mins to figure out myself...I walked in on her with her head in the cage and the hamster cowering behind a log.
They're an endless joy :D
lmao, some great shadow-chasing going on at the end too.
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Great news- I have been thinking about her today and I am pleased she has bounced back so swiftly.
When I got home from work today there was a cat sitting looking rather forlorn in my front garden and as it was raining I was very concerned. I thought at first it ( turned out to be a He) had perhaps been hit by a car but he was fine-if a little wet. I called the owner as he was wearing a collar and she came and collected him.He was a bit off his beat and may have been lost but I found that he is called Basil and has a habit of just sitting in strange places looking forlorn. Anyway, his "mum" was a lovely lady who lives up the road so maybe he has learned that the studied melancholic disposition is a great way of attracting attention.
I love how they have very distinct characters. You really only get back what you put in with cats, but I suppose that goes with many pets and life situations.
Belle is totally fine it seems, she's actually been bouncing all over the place for the past hour - chewing toys and chasing shadows, even managed to climb up the scatching post. Nowt wrong with her leg, thank f*ck for that.
Mind, getting them to swallow the tablet medication is a total nightmare though - any ideas? I've tried crushing the tablet in water and feeding it by syringe. Once they 'taste' the medication, they go mental, they definitely don't want to swallow it. They NEED this medication though, so it's a bit of a problem. More advice from vets tomorrow I reckon.
Belle has totally transformed from the cat who would stare timidly at the food, too now pushing Amalie out of the way to get into her 'special food' bowl (paste stuff to help build up cats that have been poorly).
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Mind, getting them to swallow the tablet medication is a total nightmare though - any ideas?
When you said you used a syringe, was that to suspend the drug in water - or have you tried a 'pill popper' ?
(http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u135/Fourth_Feline/12ab384f.jpg)
Wipe the pill through the butter / marg. dish first to lubricate and mask the smell / taste ( as best one can )
Reach right into the mouth with the tip, without touching the sides - and aim to 'shoot' it straight at the back of the throat. If that alone has not made her swallow after a couple of attempts , repeat the procedure, but then quickly and carefully close her mouth, gently block her nostrils, and with her head held up towards the ceiling, gently stroke her throat from the underside of her jaw e.t.c. It can all be over quickly with practice. One of those 'Necessary life skills ' . :lol:
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Thanks for that advice - yep, the butter/marg thing was suggested by the vet earlier today. Will have to see about the pill-popper as they can get feisty when you're trying to give them this medicine - got quite a nasty bite yesterday, they were obviously scared, but you can't tell them its for their own good and even though it tastes horrible they need to have them.
Belle is running round like a cat possessed today, so she's def on the mend. Amalie seems a little subdued today, so she may also have whatever Belle 'did' have. They're due at the vets tomorrow morning for a check-up, so maybe Amalie will need the same injections, we'll see.
Also had multiple dominance fights going on - they're crackers these two.
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Got a pill popper - Belle took it after spitting it out once. Amalie wouldn't play ball - tried at least 6-7 times, just spat it every time. May need to try the alternative the vet talked about.
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... May need to try the alternative the vet talked about.
Blowpipe and dart into the back of the neck ? :lol:
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You've probably seen this, but here goes ...
(http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u135/Fourth_Feline/076512cf.jpg)
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You've probably seen this, but here goes ...
(http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u135/Fourth_Feline/076512cf.jpg)
I've not seen it before, but having gone through the process of trying to get my kittens to take these pills, it is DEAD one accurate. I'm scratched to bits, so the thick gardening gloves are coming out tonight when the next dose is due.
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These girls are so cute! :D
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These girls are so cute! :D
cheers Fernando - I put the pictures up as you'd only have specified 'pictures or it didn't happen' :lol:
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:P
Pics of cats are as welcome as pictures of guitars! I love the little ones!
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:P
Pics of cats are as welcome as pictures of guitars! I love the little ones!
Your wish is my command.... :D
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Sensory overload ! Gorgeous Tele / Decal and Kitten combination ! :D
I would put a B.K.P. half note in the neck of that saucy little thing, and Jazz till I drop. Lovely to see the girls having risen above adversity too. :) I feel I need a cigarette, and I don't even smoke ... 8)
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Cheers dude, I appreciate your help btw. The kittens are doing great and the tablet-giving is even getting a little easier due to the 'towel' method the vet showed me :D
That Tele is seeing serious use these days too - I love how it growls with the volume full up and cleans up great with plenty cut/twang with the volume backed off. I'm totally going towards single coils recently, I just love the character and snap you get with them.
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I wish I could have some pets, but I'm a really anxious guy when taking care of them... So, probably I'll keep looking like the retired men that goes to the park and play with the animals of there :lol:
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:P
Pics of cats are as welcome as pictures of guitars! I love the little ones!
We try to oblige with both - although Tigger has never been little in the time I've had him
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/tiggerhelping.jpg)
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HTH - really glad to hear that the kittens are doing well - getting tablets down them can be tricky
The vet I saw made an easy task of using the pill popper on Tigger - i recall he also rubbed the throat after popping the pill to make sure it goes down, and cant be spat out.
Think it manages to bypass the tastebuds which is the first obstacle
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both of mine like to get involved with projects
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/new/a1.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/new/jb3.jpg)
Nancy is a fan of the wire
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/new/nancy.jpg)
whereas syd prefers to sit on (or in front of) the tele
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/new/syd.jpg)
cat in a bag
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/cats/catbag3.jpg)
and a rare snuggly moment
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/cats/synandnancy.jpg)
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Oooo kittens <3
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Nice girls you have there Wez! Syd is also a female name? I only know Syd Vicious, a male, and three colors cat are always girls...
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They're gorgeous cats you have there Wez - awww, white bellies, too cute.
My two are both getting on fine (save for dermatitis on Belle's bum which required treatment at the vets). They're now discovering they can climb pretty much anything, including the curtains - was wondering how long it would take for them to figure that one out :lol:
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Here's my two being inquisitive as ever yesterday...