We're in the 30's!!!Sounds like all is very well with Arcturus! So glad to hear he is fitting in so well as a beloved family member, healthy and happy.(btw, I loathe hot weather, too -- and I was born in L.A. where we live now. It gets a LOT hotter than 23C here. And we're in the 5th year of a drought, with government-imposed cutbacks as well as rate hikes on the water. So...be glad you don't live here!)
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Arcturus' journal: life with a FIV+ cat
- Thread starter reversedpolarit
- Start Date
Yeah, we know those well.
Horrific. Everyday.Yeah, we know those well.
Yes, it is. We must all learn to endure it, too, because of climate change. But we can do some good things to mitigate it in our own lives, like shop online, use cars as little as possible, plant trees and plants where applicable, use utilities as wisely as possible, eat low on the food chain, and -- and this is key -- LOVE THOSE CATS.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #245
I got the cheque from the shelter this week, which is awesome. It can go back into the vet funds.
Finally got pictures (sort of) of Arc playing! He's playing for at least half an hour a day, maybe also at night, but he has played for an hour or two! He's gone off his scratching post though, I tied string around one of the toys and onto the post to try and tempt him, but he's too ecstatic that he can 'hunt' the toy by himself. He'll pull it as far as it'll go then chase it when it pings back. I'm going to go looking for a flat scratcher (maybe with catnip).
Finally got pictures (sort of) of Arc playing! He's playing for at least half an hour a day, maybe also at night, but he has played for an hour or two! He's gone off his scratching post though, I tied string around one of the toys and onto the post to try and tempt him, but he's too ecstatic that he can 'hunt' the toy by himself. He'll pull it as far as it'll go then chase it when it pings back. I'm going to go looking for a flat scratcher (maybe with catnip).
I got the cheque from the shelter this week, which is awesome. It can go back into the vet funds.
Finally got pictures (sort of) of Arc playing! He's playing for at least half an hour a day, maybe also at night, but he has played for an hour or two! He's gone off his scratching post though, I tied string around one of the toys and onto the post to try and tempt him, but he's too ecstatic that he can 'hunt' the toy by himself. He'll pull it as far as it'll go then chase it when it pings back. I'm going to go looking for a flat scratcher (maybe with catnip).
[emoji]10084[/emoji]️[emoji]10084[/emoji]️Oh I just love how happy Arc is[emoji]10084[/emoji]️[emoji]10084[/emoji]️[emoji]10084[/emoji]️ You are an amazing cat momma
reversedpolarit
He looks great!
*That's one FAST cat!*
Hope you find a good flat scratcher. We got a great angled one (beautiful wood platform that you load one or two, depending on size, cardboard scratchers into and replace when needed) from catclaws.com here in the States, but not sure if they mail to Toronto. They sell under the name Imperial Cat, though, so you may be able to find the brand at your local store or a Canadian site. Just a thought. They use organic catnip and their scratchers are excellent. We've used them for yonks.
I love that sneer!
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- #250
I think I was looking at something similar. If I get time this evening I'm going to get the bus to the bigger pet store and see what there is.*That's one FAST cat!* :nod: Hope you find a good flat scratcher. We got a great angled one (beautiful wood platform that you load one or two, depending on size, cardboard scratchers into and replace when needed) from catclaws.com here in the States, but not sure if they mail to Toronto. They sell under the name Imperial Cat, though, so you may be able to find the brand at your local store or a Canadian site. Just a thought. They use organic catnip and their scratchers are excellent. We've used them for yonks.
Thought I should update about what Arc is eating now. I don't have the resources to feed exclusively raw/grain free, which would be preferable seeing as food quality is an important consideration with FIV.
At the moment he's eating
2x Felix As Good As It Looks 90g sachets (one AM, one PM)
Supplemented with one-two handfuls of dry food - where possible Applaws grain free, but at the moment Purina One. I tend to feed this around midday or before I go out if I'm leaving for several hours/his dinner will be late.
Every so often as a treat he'll get a 50g pack of Sheba, which he adores. It'd be nice to feed that all the time (they do 90g packs), but until I get a decent paying job not really feasible. And he'll get some cat treats every few days, I've been encouraging him to stand on my lap with them.
It's useless trying to free feed the dry, because he will eat it almost all at once. I'd rather he didn't gorge himself, so it's only a small amount at a time. We don't have much of a schedule, he lets me know when he wants breakfast and dinner. Given that I've never had an indoor cat I'm wary about over feeding, but this seems to be about right for maintaining his weight at 5.7kg, if not gaining slightly. The first few weeks he gained 0.2kg by having three 90g packs a day.
He's better at being picked up now! Still not a huge fan, but if BF is over I can pick Arc up and if BF scratches his ears whilst I hold him he'll stay like that for longer. I can pick him up to move him on/off things fine, but anything longer than a few seconds he doesn't like, which is totally fine. I really don't want handling to be associated with vet trips
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #251
He looks completely mad, but it's adorable. :lol3:
He's looking GREAT, so you must be doing something right
His diet sounds good! Hope you're able to find a good scratcher. There are a lot of brands, sizes and types that are variations on the theme of corrugated cardboard -- they range in price from very reasonable to not-so-much, and come in all kinds of shapes (cars, dinosaurs, sofas -- you name it, they make it!) and colors.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #253
He's turning more ginger by the week :lol3: if I hadn't got rid of all my moving boxes I'd have made him a card scratcher. Oops!He's looking GREAT, so you must be doing something right
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Now, there's a great idea. I think we had a thread, last year, about making your own cat cardboard scratchers, and cat toys.He's turning more ginger by the weekHe's looking GREAT, so you must be doing something rightHis diet sounds good! Hope you're able to find a good scratcher. There are a lot of brands, sizes and types that are variations on the theme of corrugated cardboard -- they range in price from very reasonable to not-so-much, and come in all kinds of shapes (cars, dinosaurs, sofas -- you name it, they make it!) and colors.if I hadn't got rid of all my moving boxes I'd have made him a card scratcher. Oops!
Must find more corrugated boxes.
Wow! Good eye
cat nap
! He is spelling his name out.
cat nap
! He is spelling his name out.
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Thanks @Rhondalee and @Zed Xyzed.
The other thing that came to mind was that Arcturus may have been showing @reversedpolarit that he may want to visit Antarctica, due to the 'hot' Scottish weather of 21-23Celcius.
But somehow, I doubt that. Arc looks too active, and really enjoying his playing in those photos. I think the 'room temperature' weather agrees with him.
(I am kind of glad that our cats don't go and learn to spell, or write, because then they would be passing us notes all day long, with who knows what sorts of requests and advice.)
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- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #257
Haha I know he's intelligent but I don't think he can write!
But seriously, I've never had such a clever (and sometimes dumb) cat, he knows to 'wait' when I say so when putting his food down, he knows that 'bedtime' means go jump on the bed and 'breakfast?' obviously means try and trip me up as I walk to where the food is.
All that...but he is yet to figure the puzzle ball out...
He started kneading my hand yesterday! I've seen him do it a few times to the blankets, but he was holding my hand when I was drifting off and started kneading and it was the cutest thing. I often forget that he's only been here a month and a half or so, but in such a short tiime he's made such incredible progress. And maybe, with more time, he'll make even more! My secret hope is he'll one day just plonk himself on my lap and stay there - at the moment he's more than happy to walk over me and pause to be stroked but he won't settle. I know it may never happen, but it'd be lovely anyway.
I cleared the cabinet in the living room of all the mail I hadn't sorted out yet and he's happily sat NEXT to his bad. Cats, eh.
I bought him different treats, Thrive, which seems to be freeze dried bits of chicken and he LOVES them. I'd much prefer to use those as treats instead of anything else, so that's good.
All that...but he is yet to figure the puzzle ball out...
He started kneading my hand yesterday! I've seen him do it a few times to the blankets, but he was holding my hand when I was drifting off and started kneading and it was the cutest thing. I often forget that he's only been here a month and a half or so, but in such a short tiime he's made such incredible progress. And maybe, with more time, he'll make even more! My secret hope is he'll one day just plonk himself on my lap and stay there - at the moment he's more than happy to walk over me and pause to be stroked but he won't settle. I know it may never happen, but it'd be lovely anyway.
I cleared the cabinet in the living room of all the mail I hadn't sorted out yet and he's happily sat NEXT to his bad. Cats, eh.
I bought him different treats, Thrive, which seems to be freeze dried bits of chicken and he LOVES them. I'd much prefer to use those as treats instead of anything else, so that's good.
I have 6 cats and bought them a little snowman that dispenses treats when they swat at it. Out of the 6, only one has figured it out. So, I agree that they can be little geniuses at the same time as being really, really dumb.
OMC I want one! I've always been into snowmen, for some unknown reason.
I found the snowman treat dispenser at pet smart. It was on clearance, but they will probably get them in again towards Christmas time.
