about

I've been away for a while due to a serious illness and subsequent health issues.


Favourite quotes of the moment:




The children of Israel wandered the desert for 40 years - Even in biblical times men wouldn't ask for directions!




Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. whatever we do to the thread, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. - Chief Seattle.





We spend the first 12 months of a child's life teaching them to walk and talk. We spend the next 12 years telling them to sit down and shut up!




As you slide down the bannisters of life, may the splinters never be pointing the wrong way.




May you be in Heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead.




I've been very happily married since August 1980 to a wonderful man and have beautiful twin girls, now aged 31. Both are married to wonderful young men and one of our girls has recently made us grandparents to a beautiful, smart and feisty granddaughter. I studied geology with the Open University. I am retired from being a manager in a large UK based insurance company which I actually quite enjoyed. (How sad is that?). I love anything to do with the environment and wildlife and try to do my bit for preservation and conservation. I would like there to be a decent world for our grandchildren to inherit. I also have CFS so find life a bit of a challenge at times but always hope for better health in the future.



I have a deep interest in the spiritual and the paranormal worlds, having experienced several incidents myself, and have been involved in meditation groups and groups that (safely) explore the paranormal. There is more to this life than we would normally credit, so an open mind is always the best option. You're not so likely to get caught by surprise!



I have a deep fascination for anything to do with Ancient Egypt, as you can probably tell by my name. I have statues and paintings all around the house. As my hubby has a similar interest in Native Americans, we tend to have a lot of unusual wall decorations, like a tomahawk.



I love cars, especially vintage ones, but my all time favourite has to be the Bugatti Chiron, what a car!



I have had a lot to do with animals over the years. I have fostered many, helped to set up a wildlife charitable hospital and raised a diverse range of young animals from bats to fox cubs and different species of birds, even a baby deer! I have had great pleasure in sharing my life and home with a number of animals over the years, most of them rescues. I am currently sponsoring an Amur Tiger, they are such beautiful cats and desperately need help, there are so few of them left. I was lucky enough a couple of years ago to meet some Aye-Aye's and Livingstone's Bats, a truly wonderful experience. We now have three cats, Oliver and Mollie, a brother and sister, he's a ginger and she's a tortoiseshell and a black and white called Daisy. She arrived in a taxi and was left on our doorstep in a cat carrier with the message that 'they knew we loved cats and would be good to her'. She has settled down well and gets on wonderfully with the other two.



If you have a pet that is showing ANY signs of illness or distress, please, please, please take it to a vet! Even if finance is an issue, work that out later. It is cruel to leave an animal suffering for any reason. Most animals do not show signs of illness until they have been ill for some time, basic instinct tells them it is a display of vulnerability, and certain death in the wild. Their instincts have not caught up with domesticity.




I do feel that we should all treat others as we would wish to be treated. Bad karma comes back to haunt us.

advice

okay so i am going to be getting a kitten soon and i need to know some information

about how often do you need to buy kitty litter and change it
[is it expensive?]

what about food
is there anything in particular i should buy thats good for them?

whats the earliest you can get a kitten because i know they have to spend time with their mother but i dont want it to be too old i want it little lol

lastly how do i train it, like not to pee and poop everywhere but to go in the litter box or will it know?

sorry if i seem clueless

Kitty litter - try to get an odour absorbing one, it's better for your nose. Take the poop out every day and change the whole thing 1-2 times a week. If you don't, cats are more likely to get 'creative' with where they toilet. They are clean animals so you can understand that they would want a clean toilet. Prices vary, I would suggest you shop around. If the kitten doesn't seem to like one, try a different one. Once you have shown them where the litter tray is, they should go to it on their own, but you could, for the first few days, put them by or on the tray after they have eaten. Try to put it somewhere out of the main traffic of the house or buy one with a lid. Cats are at their most vulnerable while toileting, so they need to feel safe.

Don't put food or water bowls near the litter tray. After all, would you want to eat in your toilet?

As kittens need more protein than older cats, start off with kitten food. Preferably the dry variety, and try to get the best make you can, it's better for their teeth, gums and general well being than wet food. Again you may need to try a couple of different brands before you find the one your kitten likes the best. Science Plan and James Wellbeloved, if you can get it where you are, are good makes. Once the kitten gets to about eighteen months you can start to wean it onto adult food. At age seven, it should be weaned onto a senior diet, this has less proteins and phosphates, so it is kinder to their kidneys.

The earliest you should take a kitten from it's mother is ten weeks, although most people have them sooner than this, sometimes as early as six weeks. At ten weeks the mother has had the chance to teach them all they need to know about being a kitten, it has had the chance to bond with it's brothers and sisters, so this should make it easier for you. Also, being slightly more mature means it will not be such a wrench for it to part from its family.

Once you get it home, it may be lonely for a while, especially if it has to sleep by itself at night. You can help to overcome this by leaving a ticking clock near it, (no alarm bells), putting a warm hot water bottle under it's bedding, so it does not come into contact with it's skin and leaving a radio on softly on a talk channel. It will need lots of cuddles and play times.

You need to factor in vets bills, worming tablets, flea prevention, vaccinations and neuturing. You will also need toys and a scratch post so that it can sharpen it's claws. This is something that is very important to a cat.

I don't know where you are from and I know a lot of people in the USA have their cats declawed. It is illegal in the UK to do this and rightly so. It is cruel to take away their self defence and a tool they use to grip things. If you don't think you or your family can cope with the possiblity of damaged furniture, although a cat can be trained to not scratch anywhere other than a scratch post, I would have to suggest you think twice about having a cat.

Hopefully you will allow your kitten to be itself and you will be rewarded with many years of love and companionship.

If you have any other questions or concerns, I'd be happy to help.


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(Rating: 5) wow =] thanx for all the info

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