Ella & Bubba

Discussion in 'Pets & Critters' started by Ken Anderson, May 28, 2020.

  1. Marie Mallery

    Marie Mallery Veteran Member
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    One lived to be 13 because the other one choked him to death, [two tom cats]. The 15y.o. one got eaten by owls. He had all his favorite meats that night. Our Alice 'the wonder dog' hated owls after that so she must have heard them killing Blackfoot. Owls would squawk at night and Alice would bark and jump up towards the sky. She was the cat, cjicken, duck protector. One good beatdown from Alice and no dog here would even think about chasing ' her' birds. She kept peace on the property.
     
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  2. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I hate leaving my cats. We're at a timeshare for a week. Once the luggage comes out, Ella knows what's happening and starts getting antsy. During the first of four goodbyes, I said to them, I offered them both some treats, and Ella refused to acknowledge it because she was pouting, I think. Bubba ate his treats and hers. I went back upstairs to say goodbye to Ella again and she wouldn't lift her head up from the cat bed. Then, having forgotten something, I went back in and played with Bubba for a while, then went up to say goodbye to Ella again. This time, she led me into the bedroom and jumped up on the bed, as if to say, "Why don't we both go back to bed instead?" I feel bad when I have to leave them, particularly Ella because she's more affected by it. They'll be well taken care of but they'll be mostly alone.
     
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  3. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    You're lucky. When my cat would get angry at me, she would pee in my dress shoes and I would not notice until I got home from work.
     
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  4. Krystal Shay

    Krystal Shay Very Well-Known Member
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    I'm the same way, Ken. I don't like leaving my cats. Nobody can or will take care of them better than I can.
     
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  5. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    No, fortunately, neither Ella nor Bubba have ever acted out in that way. They might vomit once in a while but that's not something they can control. I have had a cat who would do that, though - Lydia.
     
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  6. Thomas Stillhere

    Thomas Stillhere Very Well-Known Member
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    My dog years ago got so used to going with me everyday to work would get so mad if I left her at home she would shred my clothes on the hangers. I had a pair of 350 Chevrolet heads against a door leading to an upstairs room all windowed where I thought she would be more comfortable, she moved those heads and pushed the door open !!! At that point I just started taking her to work again and let her sit in the car or station wagon in this case and leave the window down so she could get out and back in if she needed. It was facing the feeder road on I-45 and very busy but she was an extra special dog and was capable of being left like that without worrying about her. I still would go out and check on her several times a day. It was cool weather so I had a sleeping bag in the floor of the old car so she could snuggle up in the bag. She didn't care that I was working all day and only wanted to go with me and was happy even waiting for so long each day. I was glad to finally leave the job and start having her with me all the time no matter where I went. She could jump in and out of a vehicle without touching the window or door frame. Probably the smartest dog I ever owned.
     
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  7. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    When I go upstairs for a while, Bubba will steal my chair and then I have to do battle with him to get it back. If I sit on the edge of the chair, as if to share it with him, he will push on me, and, when that doesn't dislodge me, he starts slapping at me. The real objective, I think, is to play and not to have the chair.
     
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  8. Thomas Stillhere

    Thomas Stillhere Very Well-Known Member
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    My new computer case BOX was a full tower so I sit it on end under my desk and two are using it for their perch. The 3rd one is sitting on my old rolling hutch on the top and he sits there and stares at the closed up window, I have cardboard and foam sheeting on the glass to keep the evening sun out and tonight it was stormy out and rainy but he just sits there like he's in a trance. Sometimes I think he is looking at the shadow but I don't know. My 3 young kitties are now outside and I think they like it. With all the thunder and lightening this evening they got a good taste of the outside. There are 4 more just few weeks older and all of them are related so they probably play together and snuggle also. Both their mother and grandmother stay near them so they are protected. By end of summer or before they will all be large enough to follow their mother into the bathroom to eat again then they can leave as she does. I keep fresh water out under the place so it stays cool and plenty of food. I think they like it out there, one left first on his own and then about 3 days later the 2nd one went out and I did not see him but I was pretty sure he was out there laying around and finally yesterday all 3 were looking up thru the vanity opening and crying for their breakfast.
     
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  9. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Ella is prone to eye infections a couple of times a year, so I keep some Terramycin on hand to use whenever I see some reddening around her eyes, so as not to let it get too far. Of course, she hates it when I put that stuff on her eyes and fights me a little bit. But as soon as I'm done, I always give her some treats, so now she continues to fight me when it comes to the ointment, but as soon as I'm done, she runs into the treat room for her treat. It's good that she is starting to associate it with getting a treat.
     
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  10. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    This is the same with Marco Poodle and his baths or toenail grinding. He does not like having either one done, but he knows that he gets bologna afterwards, so as soon as i dry him off from his bath, he rushes into the kitchen and dances around, waiting for his after-bath treat.
     
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  11. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Ella lets me trim only one nail at a sitting. Each time, she seems to not know what I am going to do until I clip it. Then, after I clip it, she's done with it. No more of that. So far, I was able to clip only one of Bubba's nails. After that, he'd bite me hard when I tried. Fortunately, he's young and more active, so his nails don't really need to be clipped, but I'd like to get him used to it. I try to poke at his feet regularly while petting him to reduce his sensitivity to it.
     
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    Last edited: Aug 8, 2023
  12. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    I got one of the little pet nail grinders from Amazon, and it works SO much better than trying to use the nail clippers. There is no chance of cutting too short, like with the nail clippers. Poodle still does not enjoy it; but it does not upset him like the clippers did .
    Another plus, I have found that the grinder works great on my toenails, too !
     
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  13. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I don't think that would work with cats, though. They hate things that make noise.
     
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  14. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I think Bubba chewed the sisal/twine handle off of one of Michelle's baskets since he seems to have acquired an 18-20-inch length of it that he has been using as a cat toy, and that is the only place I can think of where we'd be likely to have twine around the house. She has a lot of baskets around, so I am hoping it's one that he found in the closet or somewhere where it's not in general use so that I can clandestinely throw it away, or I could always leave it in doubt whether Bubba or Ella was the culprit. It could have been a mouse. There is sisal on a couple of our cat trees, but those are considerably thicker and still in place. Ella has always ignored the sisal scratchers, preferring cardboard, but Bubba has been making use of them.
     
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    Last edited: Sep 8, 2023
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  15. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I play a YouTube channel for Bubba sometimes that has several videos of a cat or a group of kittens relaxing, with purring sounds and relaxing music. Each one will have from an hour to several hours. Ella ignores it entirely, but every time I switch from one video to another, Bubba will sit up and stare at it for quite a long time and then go to sleep, purring. Some of them have just a still photo of a cat, and those don't hold his interest, although he can sleep to the music and the purring sounds. He prefers the ones where the cat moves. It does what it's supposed to do and puts him to sleep after a quarter or half an hour, but when I switch it to another video, he'll watch it again before going back to sleep. Bubba doesn't get much purring from Ella, so I suppose he likes it. That's Cat TV.
     
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    Last edited: Nov 7, 2023

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