803: Take Care of Your Own

[wazzoinc]

The fuck is "keithandthegirl.com/bruno"?

[Malfait]

Cute hearing Michael talk about his two new kitties I think he said they were 3 months old? That's a really fun age to have them - it's the best time in their lives to do things that'll pretty much ensure that you'll have well-adjusted, friendly cats when they reach adulthood.

I'm definitely a cat person, but I can understand why some people really dislike them - I've found that a lot of times when people don't like cats, it's because the only cats they've ever interacted with were ones that hadn't been socialized well when they were little. It's really easy to end up with a bitchy, hissy, scratchy adult cat if you don't raise it well - but it's also really easy to raise a cat to be pleasant, easy-going, and affectionate. Giving them lots of experiences interacting with different people when they're kittens and making sure that you don't do things that frighten them is pretty much all you have to do. The last thing you want is to have a cat that's learned from a young age to associate people with fear and unpredictability. Following the cues a cat gives you will quickly build trust - if they don't want to be held, put them down; if they want to be left alone, leave them alone, etc... if a cat realizes that you'll back off when they want you to, they'll feel more secure with you in the long run and tend to start to enjoy things like being held, because they know that when they want down, you'll let them down, and so on...

The buttworms should go away quickly with treatment. As for the mites.. what kind of mites? In my experience, kittens pretty much always come with ear mites - I guess since they're so young, they're more susceptible. One application of Revolution (if they're large enough/old enough - at 3 months they probably are) will get rid of ear mites, and as long as the cats don't go outside, they won't get any parasites again.

Those robot litterboxes suck. A traditional litterbox is just easier and faster to clean.

Sorry for the long post - really I just wanted to post to ask Michael to pleasepleaseplease not just lock your cats in a room in your house when you guys go to Israel. Not sure how long you guys are going for, but kittens are VERY good at getting into trouble when they're unsupervised. Leaving them alone while you're out for the day is one thing, but if you're on vacation, arrange for someone to come by at least once a day to make sure they're okay, and also so the cats don't feel like they've been abandoned. Boredom from being in one room will quickly lead to frustration which, at their young age, could well lead to behavior problems that could be difficult to reverse. If I'm being an ass and just assuming you meant you wouldn't have anybody come check on them while you're away, and you actually do plan on having someone visit them and play with them, then I apologize - that's just the impression I got from hearing you on the show is all.

Also, I wanna see pics of the kitties

[Bebe]

I'm a DD cup...it's not THAT big

You can get bras in places like Macy's up to at least a 36DD.

[DickPound]

Originally Posted by Bebe

I'm a DD cup...it's not THAT big

You can get bras in places like Macy's up to at least a 36DD.

So are half the dudes on the Body For Life thread... big wup.

[serial_x]

Originally Posted by Grapist

Ha! Those are a waste of money especially if you have indoor cats. I got mine taken care of once and have never done it since. Never had an issue in 8 years with this current cat and several with others.

I only used the Revolution on one of my kittens mainly because he got so sick after i got him that he almost died. I used it mainly to be on the safe side for a while. Now that he has just turned 1 and is in better health than me, i'm no longer buying the Revolution. They're strictly indoor so fleas aren't really a problem and they get their yearly worm treatments.

Originally Posted by talley

Because now when I smoke he tries to get near me and actually sticks his face towards me when I'm exhaling.

That's because catnip is a close relative of the marijuana family. Cats like rubbing themselves against catnip, not having smoke blown in their face. If you're so deadset keen on combining weed smoking and your cat, it's far healthier for the cat if you blow the smoke on to your shirt or something then let him rub against it. Either that or just buy him some catnip, my boys love the little catnip bush i have in their room.

Originally Posted by st0l3n

That's 60-70 rodents not shitting in my house, eating wiring or the food in my cupboards, and dragging disease into my life .
The cats don't eat the rodents only catch and kill

You need to own a cat before you tear them down

I also have stories about dogs and house burglars

Agreed! Diseases brought in by mice and other rodents are far worse than if a cat happens to be sick on the floor.