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Herd your cats here

Started by eigen, May 17, 2019, 02:24:47 PM

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apl68

The other day I saw a cat chasing a squirrel away from a yard.  Then the cat ran up under a tree.  I heard a bunch of avian squawking.  It sounded like the cat was now terrorizing a bird.  Then I saw the can run away from the tree with a squawking bird in pursuit.  Then I realized that maybe it wasn't the cat that was doing the terrorizing.
All we like sheep have gone astray
We have each turned to his own way
And the Lord has laid upon him the guilt of us all

smallcleanrat

Quote from: apl68 on June 05, 2023, 07:33:13 AM
The other day I saw a cat chasing a squirrel away from a yard.  Then the cat ran up under a tree.  I heard a bunch of avian squawking.  It sounded like the cat was now terrorizing a bird.  Then I saw the can run away from the tree with a squawking bird in pursuit.  Then I realized that maybe it wasn't the cat that was doing the terrorizing.

Haha. Poor kitty. Wonder if it got too close to the nest.

What sort of bird was it?

apl68

Quote from: smallcleanrat on June 05, 2023, 08:17:16 AM
Quote from: apl68 on June 05, 2023, 07:33:13 AM
The other day I saw a cat chasing a squirrel away from a yard.  Then the cat ran up under a tree.  I heard a bunch of avian squawking.  It sounded like the cat was now terrorizing a bird.  Then I saw the can run away from the tree with a squawking bird in pursuit.  Then I realized that maybe it wasn't the cat that was doing the terrorizing.

Haha. Poor kitty. Wonder if it got too close to the nest.

What sort of bird was it?

I wasn't close enough to get a look.  Which has to be pretty close indeed, with my poor distance vision.  I strongly suspect a mockingbird.  They're famously protective of their young.  As I once found out firsthand at age seven.  I still have a vivid image in my mind of a winged beak diving right at my face....
All we like sheep have gone astray
We have each turned to his own way
And the Lord has laid upon him the guilt of us all

FishProf

I'd rather have questions I can't answer, than answers I can't question.

glendower

If you're in the right area, the cat-chasing bird could be a red-winged blackbird. They are very aggressive when nesting. I've been buzzed by one a few times when all I did was walk on a paved path too close to his tree.

apl68

Quote from: glendower on June 06, 2023, 07:24:00 AM
If you're in the right area, the cat-chasing bird could be a red-winged blackbird. They are very aggressive when nesting. I've been buzzed by one a few times when all I did was walk on a paved path too close to his tree.

That is a possibility here, now that you mention it.  Never had any run-ins with them myself.
All we like sheep have gone astray
We have each turned to his own way
And the Lord has laid upon him the guilt of us all

smallcleanrat

Looking for opinions on cats in the kitchen. Are yours allowed? And is it safe to have cats around when cooking?

Neither SO or I cooks much, so it hasn't been much of an issue until recently, when I've been trying to learn. The bustle and the smells draw the curious kitties into the kitchen, and I'm constantly kicking them out worrying that they will singe a paw or burn their little noses getting too close to a hot oven or stove. I also worry about them snatching a bite of something cats shouldn't eat, like garlic.

We've tried locking them in another room, but this results in sad, howling kitties.

After being ejected from the kitchen about a dozen times, they will finally settle down and content themselves with watching from the sidelines. I'd like to train them to stay there from the beginning, and I wonder if anyone here has done something like that?

Puget

Quote from: smallcleanrat on June 15, 2023, 11:48:30 AMLooking for opinions on cats in the kitchen. Are yours allowed? And is it safe to have cats around when cooking?

Neither SO or I cooks much, so it hasn't been much of an issue until recently, when I've been trying to learn. The bustle and the smells draw the curious kitties into the kitchen, and I'm constantly kicking them out worrying that they will singe a paw or burn their little noses getting too close to a hot oven or stove. I also worry about them snatching a bite of something cats shouldn't eat, like garlic.

We've tried locking them in another room, but this results in sad, howling kitties.

After being ejected from the kitchen about a dozen times, they will finally settle down and content themselves with watching from the sidelines. I'd like to train them to stay there from the beginning, and I wonder if anyone here has done something like that?

I've never attempted to keep cats out of any room except the guest room (which they of course then want to sneak into). The cabinet above the fridge is a favorite cat lair, and they are fed in the kitchen. They aren't supposed to be on the counters, though I suspect that only applies when I'm watching. I haven't had any problems with them when cooking-- they do like to supervise.
"Never get separated from your lunch. Never get separated from your friends. Never climb up anything you can't climb down."
–Best Colorado Peak Hikes

Volhiker78

We don't try and exclude our cats from the kitchen. They've never been close to the stoves when they are on and I suspect they avoid anything that has a flame.

Occasionally they hop up on the kitchen island and investigate food items left up there.  Most of the time they aren't that interested and we shoo them away before they try and steal anything. We lecture our teenagers that they need to finish anything they are eating at the island or potentially lose it to either the cats or the garbage can via our hands.

Bottom line: cats in the kitchen not a huge concern for us.

Harlow2

We feed Ulysses in the kitchen, and we feed her before we cook dinner so she isn't underfoot circling and pacing.

AmLitHist

ALHS weighed Little Cat yesterday:  7 lbs., up from 6 lbs. 3 oz. on May 15 when her hyperthyroidism was first diagnosed. So it seems like the thyroid diet rx food is helping!

As to cats and the kitchen:  ours were/always are there. They'd get their wet food every evening when I'd start supper, and their dry food dish is there.  Neither has ever been a problem on cabinets or such (though LC has recently started going into the bottom cabinet where my big baking dishes live, when my back is turned). She's also found the small gap between the range and the cabinet and occasionally squeezes herself in, then has to back out!

the_geneticist

Ours are fed in the kitchen and their water fountain is in there too.  No point in trying to exclude them from the room.  Lady Jane is the self-appointed supervising cat for any meal prep and cooking.  She either sits on a chair on in a basket on the kitchen cart.  Having a designated spot for kitties to sit seems to help a lot.
To avoid the begging for treats/snacks while we cook, we only give treats in the living room (even if the treat is a piece of cooked chicken).

Harlow2

Quote from: AmLitHist on June 16, 2023, 07:38:32 AMALHS weighed Little Cat yesterday:  7 lbs., up from 6 lbs. 3 oz. on May 15 when her hyperthyroidism was first diagnosed. So it seems like the thyroid diet rx food is helping!

That's great, ALH! 13 oz is a lot!  Can you describe the food, i.e, is it something like KD? Ulysesses has an appointment for a blood draw this week, so I'd like to be able to ask the vet about it.

AmLitHist

Quote from: Harlow2 on June 16, 2023, 09:15:29 PM
Quote from: AmLitHist on June 16, 2023, 07:38:32 AMALHS weighed Little Cat yesterday:  7 lbs., up from 6 lbs. 3 oz. on May 15 when her hyperthyroidism was first diagnosed. So it seems like the thyroid diet rx food is helping!

That's great, ALH! 13 oz is a lot!  Can you describe the food, i.e, is it something like KD? Ulysesses has an appointment for a blood draw this week, so I'd like to be able to ask the vet about it.

From the order I placed yesterday:  "Hill's Prescription Diet Feline y/d Thyroid Care Chicken Flavor." 

The stuff must have yak's tears and gold in it:  it's $48 for a 4-lb. bag at the vet's office.  (If you need it, I ordered from PetFlow.com yesterday--even with $6 shipping, I also found an $8 discount so it ended up around $37 for the bag, all told. I think their list price was $37-38.)  The little cans of soft food, which last her about a week, are around $3 each. Still, if it's making her better, that's fine; I'm just used to spending about $30 on the huge 14-pound Earthborne Feline that would last her a couple of months!

ohnoes

Catnoes, the last of his line, has moved on.  It was time, but still far too soon.