Say hello to Boris Part 2

[chichismom]

Originally Posted by Renny

i understand your anger over the banning of animals and certain breeds. The province of Ontario just banned all pit bulls in the province based on a few animal attacks. (i think it should be the bad dog owners that are banned from the province...i was thinking we could send them to Anarctica?). All current pitbulls have to be registered, muzzled and neutered and any pitbulls born are automatically put to sleep. It is so sad to watch. Makes me furious!

I hope your work suceeds in stopping the ban!

They put the poor puppies to sleep?!?!? How awful Grrrrrrrrrrrr!

 

[chichismom]

Willy is not banned (yet) here in the city of St.Louis, but the surrounding counties, banning dog breeds is their new fad

Willy is a pit bull mix of some sort, I will post a pic at the bottom of this so you can see how big he is,yes he is a big dog but we have put alot of love into training him properly. He is very protective, but he would never just bark or growl at someone for no reason. Most of the time he is the biggest lap baby you'll ever see LOL

I think it is soo cool that Nakoma and Carmelo play together! I bet that is a sight to see! Do you have any pics of them together?
You said they eat other meat besides chicken, like venison- do they ever get "fresh"meat? I'm sure it's fresh, but what I mean is like, if you went deer hunting or something would you let them have the meat right then or would you wash it off etc... or not give it to them at all? Do they ever kill birdies or squirrels that wander too close?

I love the pics of Amber and Boris sleeping with the "normal" housecats! They seem to not realize how big they are

Here is a size comparison pic of Willy. He is sitting on my Dad's lap watching TV (yes he loves TV) now my Dad is not a small person, but Willy just dwarfs him!

 

[amberthe bobcat]

Willy looks wonderful

I have a friend who has pit bulls and they are some of the sweetest dogs I have met. I used to dog sit for her when she went out of town. Those dogs just loved anyone and would act like total goofs when anyone new stopped by. They loved to sleep in bed with you as well. Just like any animal, it all depends on the breeder and how they were treated when they are young. Many pit bulls are used in dog fights

and these usually do not make good pets. They have been trained to do nothing but fight. But when they come from a good breeder and a loving home, pit bulls are great dogs. You can see the same with Nakoma. He was abused by the original owner (shot at with a paint ball gun

) So, it is understandable why he does not trust humans the same way Amber, Boris and Carmelo does. Is he a good cat, by all means yes. He knows that I will never hurt him and I know he will never hurt me. I am sure one day, he is going to surprise me and walk up to me and let me pet him. I see it now when I go into his enclosure. He watches me with such adorable eyes and his cute bobtail wagging.

I think it is soo cool that Nakoma and Carmelo play together! I bet that is a sight to see! Do you have any pics of them together?
You said they eat other meat besides chicken, like venison- do they ever get "fresh"meat? I'm sure it's fresh, but what I mean is like, if you went deer hunting or something would you let them have the meat right then or would you wash it off etc... or not give it to them at all? Do they ever kill birdies or squirrels that wander too close?

Sorry, no pics of Nakoma and Carmelo playing yet. The run around so much, it's hard to get a shot. I did give Nakoma fresh venison in the fall. While I was at work, someone had hit a baby deer who must have been no more than a few days old

He was still alive, but it's legs were broken, so it was put down. One of the guys I work with, took it to his house and put it in the freezer until I went home. When I came home, I put it in with Nakoma and he had a blast. He played with it for a couple hours before he ate. I have not seen Nakoma catch any live prey that wondered into his enclosure. For the most part, he would not know what to do. Hunting is something cats learn by watching their mother hunt. Since he was raised in captivity, he never learned to hunt. Yes, just like all cats, they like to chase after things, but the idea of chasing something, killing it and eating is something that is learned. I have seen toads in his enclosure and he leaves them alone thank God. Boris ate one in the summer and we almost lost him. So now during the warm months, I have to do toad patrol before letting them out.

 

[chichismom]

Poisionous toads

WOW! I'm glad to hear Boris is ok-

 

[kai bengals]

Originally Posted by AmberThe Bobcat

I have seen toads in his enclosure and he leaves them alone thank God. Boris ate one in the summer and we almost lost him. So now during the warm months, I have to do toad patrol before letting them out.

Those darn toads are bad news, aren't they? When we lived in Hawaii, our dog bit one and he died within minutes. There was nothing we could do, because we didn't see it happen and by the time we realized, it was too late.
This was a Bufo toad...very toxic skin.
I was wondering about the toads I see here in Carolina. I shoo them away all the time, but I wonder if they are as toxic.

 

[purrfectcatlove]

Oh my goodness , Boris sure has grown a lot

he sure looks very handsome . I am sure glad I come across this thread today , it sure made my day . I don't think I will get ever bored of looking at your wonderfull BIG kitties . I love them and keep them comming .

 

[amberthe bobcat]

Originally Posted by Kai Bengals

Those darn toads are bad news, aren't they? When we lived in Hawaii, our dog bit one and he died within minutes. There was nothing we could do, because we didn't see it happen and by the time we realized, it was too late.
This was a Bufo toad...very toxic skin.
I was wondering about the toads I see here in Carolina. I shoo them away all the time, but I wonder if they are as toxic.

Most people do not realize how bad a toad can be, until something like this happens. My wife was home alone with them when this happened. Boris came inside and just a couple minutes later, he was on the ground with his face swollen. He was rushed to the vet's office where he began to vomit blood. I really thought we were going to lose him, it was that bad. All I can say is thank God he made it. I am not sure if all toads have the same toxicity levels or not. But boy, I am not taking any chances. However, I think after this incident, Boris will ignore them like Nakoma does.

Oh my goodness , Boris sure has grown a lot he sure looks very handsome

Yes, he has his full thick winter coat as well and boy are they ever soft

 

[joecool]

You said you gave nakoma a dead baby deer that had to be put down.... Wasn't that dangerous, because wouldn't the poison from the injection hurt him?

Anyway, is it possible to get an older cat to allow you to pet him, after that abuse?

 

[amberthe bobcat]

Originally Posted by joecool

You said you gave nakoma a dead baby deer that had to be put down.... Wasn't that dangerous, because wouldn't the poison from the injection hurt him?

Anyway, is it possible to get an older cat to allow you to pet him, after that abuse?

No, there was no injection. The animal warden has some type of device they use to quickly put the animal down without drugs or the need to shoot it. I am not sure how it is done and don't think I really want to know. I felt bad enough for the poor thing being hit by a car.

As for Nakoma letting me pet him. It wasn't just the abuse, but he was never handled when he was a kitten like Amber and Boris. It's sort of like trying to hold an adult feral cat that has never been touched by a human. However, he is showing some very promising signs. About 2 hours ago, I walked by his enclosure to get some more meat for them. On my way back to the house, I stopped to talk to him. He was on the far end of the enclosure. As I spoke to him, he looked at me wagging his tail. Then, he made a soft, but very noticable vocal sound at me and came walking over to the side of the enclosure where I was standing. I am sure one day he will just walk up to me while I am in there. That gesture today was a very good sign

 

[joecool]

Maybe you could try something like, i think, the TTouch. For ferals. or maybe some other name.

That is what i meant, but i consider it abuse that he was not socialized.

 

[gemlady]

Happy Holidays, John and Terri and the kitties! Did the kitties get presents?

 

[amberthe bobcat]

Thank you and Happy New Year!! Well, no new toys at the moment, but Carmelo did get a new harness. They have so many toys here at the moment, you have to watch everywhere you walk. They are all over the place

 

[decadenz]

LOL I can just imagine! Guess all your household items are really hardy given how huge your gorgeous Boris, Amber and Carmelo are. They must really raise a ruckus when they start playing

 

[amberthe bobcat]

Originally Posted by decadenz

LOL I can just imagine! Guess all your household items are really hardy given how huge your gorgeous Boris, Amber and Carmelo are. They must really raise a ruckus when they start playing

One of Carmelo's favorite toys is the water cooler jug. You know those huge plastic jugs found in office water coolers? I put a few ping-pong and golf balls inside and he just loves that thing. When he gets throwing that thing around, oh boy

 

[joecool]

LOL!

 

[decadenz]

I'm just laughing out loud picturing that in my head! Goooodness me!!

 

[amberthe bobcat]

You should hear the noise it makes as well

 

[decadenz]

Yeah! tremendous noise I'll bet. Such huge adorable felines... wish I could just HUG em!! But of course I know that's not possible

So YOU gotta hug em for me John

 

[jcat]

Now I'm curious - what size harness does Carmelo need? Jamie (13+ lbs.) needs a small to medium-sized dog harness, so I can't imagine Carmelo's size. As far as I know, a "bolt" is used to euthanize deer, etc., that are mortally injured. A spring-driven metal rod that pierces the skull and brain brings instantaneous death. I know you said that you didn't want to know, but I've seen this method used twice, on a horse and a deer, and death was just as quick as with guns.

 

[joecool]

Originally Posted by jcat

Now I'm curious - what size harness does Carmelo need? Jamie (13+ lbs.) needs a small to medium-sized dog harness, so I can't imagine Carmelo's size. As far as I know, a "bolt" is used to euthanize deer, etc., that are mortally injured. A spring-driven metal rod that pierces the skull and brain brings instantaneous death. I know you said that you didn't want to know, but I've seen this method used twice, on a horse and a deer, and death was just as quick as with guns.

He said he didn't want to know..... now i am gonna have nightmares about the poor deer.