Animals/Pets thread

[Neverbloom]

10 minutes ago, wendybr said:

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. Thirteen years is a long time. 

Sad for you and your family...as well as for the sister of your kitty.

thank you honestly i wasnt going to say anything if it wasnt for my cats drastic change of behaviour, i am lucky she didnt have to be put down, she didnt suffer much, the worst thing about pets dying is the suffering beforehand but here there wasnt much

[wendybr]

I'm glad to hear that!

You're right about the suffering that often preceeds an animal dying. And their humans go through even more.

Just knowing when to bring on the end is a horrible decision to make, when that's the way things are heading.

That's always very painful to go through...so if your cat passed without much suffering, that's at least something to be grateful for.

[Prydzopolis]

On 14/07/2019 at 7:36 PM, Neverbloom said:

sadly a few days ago one of my cats passed away, one i have had for about 13 years i got her when she was 2 with another cat(her sister) its amazing how much her sister's behaviour has changed since, she wants attention from us a lot more since, no one can tell me cats dont like humans she is very affectionate

Very sorry to hear goat, are you thinking of getting another cat as a companion? I know our grey Persian became a different cat once he got a brother but unsure how female cats work?

[wendybr]

From what I can see, the girls are trickier to settle with a companion cat.

Our 3 boys...all of different ages, get on fine.

2 of our 3 girls don't get on at all. They were fine when the youngest cat arrived as a kitten, but since then dont like each other at all. 

At least Goat's cat is used to others, but every cat is totally an individual, and will have an individual approach to a new companion.

[Neverbloom]

thank you for all the replies, honestly even the sister didnt get along with her sister 90% of the time i mean dont get me wrong she found a lot of comfort in her sister but she doesnt really get along with other cats often, we have 2 other cats(both male if that makes a difference but desexed) she doesnt like them either but they are both friendly cats, i just think giving her more attention would be better for her

[Prydzopolis]

1 hour ago, Neverbloom said:

we have 2 other cats(both male 

It appears like more cats may not be the answer then

[Edinburgh]

Less cats is the answer to everything 

[pseudonym]

 

[wendybr]

https://www.msn.com/en-au/lifestyle/familyandrelationships/meet-cat-chelors-men-who-believe-cats-take-pressure-off-finding-a-partner/ar-AAF8P2b?ocid=spartandhp

 

[wendybr]

1 hour ago, Bones said:

So true, I think cats can be such a joyful handfull there's no need for other stimulation lol.

My partner and I recently we're kindly offered accommodation by a wonderful lady during a rough time. She had not lying 30 odd cats (not ideal) and as long as they were fed and happy she couldn't give a rats about anything else. I loved feeding them and watching the kittens I could do it for hours at a time, I've never owned a cat myself.

Thanks for sharing that, Bones ( I wish I didn't have to call you that though! )

I thought the article might have received a rough reception here (well it will from some) - but I know heaps of blokes who love cats - and I'm glad to "meet' another one!

I can't imagine having 30 cats!! We have six.

One of my favourite times of day is dinner time - if they are all on the scene, when they are all excitedly miaowing - in their widely different voices! So cute!!

And I cannot image many things in life more engaging than watching kittens at play - it's pure delight!

[wendybr]

1 minute ago, Bones said:

I suggested to her to video the kittens and make a YouTube channel lol I so would watch it.

You can call me Bonesy if you like 😁

Haha!

Good idea - on both scores there, Bonesy! 

 

Bonesy sounds more.....friendly! 

[pseudonym]

 

[wendybr]

^^^ Lovely!

[wendybr]

For all of you who love your cats... (well maybe only for me, Goat and Prydz) 

Good news! 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-05/china-firm-sinogene-create-first-cloned-kitten-british-shorthair/11482828?section=world

[echidna]

39 minutes ago, wendybr said:

For all of you who love your cats... (well maybe only for me, Goat and Prydz) 

Good news! 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-05/china-firm-sinogene-create-first-cloned-kitten-british-shorthair/11482828?section=world

Sadly, I cannot bring back the beautiful long-haired grey and white Persian I lost 39 years ago. My wife and I are great cat lovers but she says we cannot get one until our (very occasional) travelling days are over and we are tucked into a care home, so the parting experience is not traumatic for both us and or cat. I think I would prefer to take the risk if we could find a good cattery!

[wendybr]

Hooray!

A rare fellow cat lover on WSF!

Yes...I think you should be able to enjoy having another cat, with the occasional aid of a cattery or pet sitters!

39 years between cats is far too long, Echidna, (although others here will disagree!) 

 

[Smoggy]

The son announced a few months back that he wanted fish, and so we bought a fish tank yesterday. No fish yet of course as we need to get it all set up and follow the lengthy guidelines, who knew fish were such fussy buggers! Just so much specific type of salt in the water, certain pH level, remove chlorine and other man made impurities, certain level of 'good' bacteria in the water, more than one type of food (depending on the fish), some nice real plants they can nibble on, somewhere for them to hide away, and of course if tropical heated to the right ******* level with filter. 

It does explain why the many goldfish I won as a kid at the local fair never survived longer than a few days.

We have a 20ltr fish tank suitable for tropical and cold water fish, any tips to keep them alive appreciated. But to be honest I expect any fish we buy to be dead floaters within the month......but the lad wants to do it  

[JackDoff]

50 minutes ago, Erimus said:

The son announced a few months back that he wanted fish, and so we bought a fish tank yesterday. No fish yet of course as we need to get it all set up and follow the lengthy guidelines, who knew fish were such fussy buggers! Just so much specific type of salt in the water, certain pH level, remove chlorine and other man made impurities, certain level of 'good' bacteria in the water, more than one type of food (depending on the fish), some nice real plants they can nibble on, somewhere for them to hide away, and of course if tropical heated to the right ******* level with filter. 

It does explain why the many goldfish I won as a kid at the local fair never survived longer than a few days.

We have a 20ltr fish tank suitable for tropical and cold water fish, any tips to keep them alive appreciated. But to be honest I expect any fish we buy to be dead floaters within the month......but the lad wants to do it  

Start with Guppies . Hardy easy to maintain . Maybe start with 4-5 , 4 females 1 male , cos the male will want to rub uglies so more females will give them a chance to survive n not get harassed! They also breed pretty easily too. 

[wendybr]

Kept fish here for probably 10-12 years.

Tropicals - so warm water needed  (worriesome in a blackout- which we had a few times a year at one point. Didn't ever keep the salt water types.

I loved having fish, but it WAS hard keeping them going.

If I were to start again I'd definitely not go with the tropicals - beautiful tho they are. I'd go with goldfish.

If you were to go with tropicals - we had a golden Gourami, which lasted almost the whole time, and some Angel fish also did last a long time (my favourites) - altho once or twice, a rogue male hunted a female mercilessly.

Don't get littlies at the same time as bigger fish - or the littlies will disappear for dinner within hours.

IDK - a couple of goldfish to start off with would be the way to go imo.

Start simple, because otherwise, the mistakes you make along the way as you learn, will cost your pets their lives.

PS You do have to bear in mind that, with all your weekends away and holidays - fish care becomes an issue.

[wendybr]

10 minutes ago, JackDoff said:

Start with Guppies . Hardy easy to maintain . Maybe start with 4-5 , 4 females 1 male , cos the male will want to rub uglies so more females will give them a chance to survive n not get harassed! They also breed pretty easily too. 

We probably made the mistake of starting out with a "community" type tank - so, with numerous species, which grew to different sizes. We did get guppies a number of times - very spectactular/colourful, but I don't think they ever lasted that long.

But Jack could be right - a lot of little ones, if you were going with Tropicals, would probably be the way to go.

[pseudonym]

 

[wendybr]

Adorable!

There's something not right about anyone who can't like a kitten.

Cats - OK, not to everyone's liking. I get that.

But kittens? 

[teddies]

I am usually a dog person, but cats have grown on me! I do like their independence, and I am admittedly lazy. 

I grew up with 3 dogs, with one left in her ripe old age. I couldn't see myself jumping in and getting another pup and doing it all again. Although, later on down the track I wouldn't mind adopting older dogs or cats and giving them a home for their final years. 

[CaptainJess]

Balks and I have a 180L freshwater tank. 

We've had various fish over the past two years. Definitely go fresh water, marine is a bitch to maintain. 

Try to avoid real plants. They can throw the tank levels out quite easily. Stick with plastic plants to begin with. You can always introduce them later if you want when you get more confident. 

The main tip I can give you is keep your pH at 7.0 and you'll have half the battle won. Most tropical fish will be quite comfortable at that level. You sound like you're cycling the tank, so that's a good start. 

In terms of fish, guppies are good but take Jack's word for it. Make sure to have more females than males. Tetras are awesome for small tanks. You can get so many types and they look great when they school. I prefer the red and blue neon tetras but we've had rummy nose, congo and rosy tetras too. 

Platys and mollies are good sizes too for small tanks. It depends whether your son wants a few or just one or two bigger ones. If he wants some bigger ones, go with a gourami. We had two lovely blue dwarf gouramis at one point. We had to give one away due to it getting aggressive with the other one but the remaining one was quite content in the tank with the smaller fish. He was slower than the tetras and guppies so he never bothered chasing them. 

Unfortunately, through a series of terrible events, we ended up losing a lot of our fish over a 3-4 month period. However, we've got the tank back to a great condition and we've just started introducing some more fish. We got a bunch of tetras and platys the other day along with a beast of a plecco who we hope will keep the tank clean. We're looking at getting some more tetras along with some silver dollars and angel fish in the next few weeks. 

I'm not sure where you are based, but we use Le Aquatic at Lansvale for our fish. They are very well stocked and their set-up is amazing. They know their stuff and the fish are good quality. Stick clear of pet-shop fish. 

[Smoggy]

Thanks Jess. That tank looks awesome!

Also just to avoid confusion...not going for salt water fish. The guidelines stated that you should include a pinch of some fancy salt ( not normal table salt) in the water for all fish as aparently they need this.

[sonar]

There are other benefits of having a fish tank.......

https://blog.entirelypets.com/informative/7-health-benefits-keeping-aquarium/

[CaptainJess]

5 hours ago, sonar said:

There are other benefits of having a fish tank.......

https://blog.entirelypets.com/informative/7-health-benefits-keeping-aquarium/

I could quite happily watch my fish tank for hours. It’s very therapeutic. It’s also interesting to see the different groups and personalities that form. Fish have little quirks that you pick up on as the community develops. 

For instance, we have a little tetra we named Steve. He has survived an ick outbreak, algae bloom and the rest of his school dying off. He’s quite a survivor. 

He’s been alone in the tank for about a month or so. We felt so bad for him but we needed to do a full replenish of the water and a thorough clean before we got any more fish. Now we’ve got it all sorted, we got more tetras the other day as I mentioned above. 

As soon as we floated the new tetras in their bag, Steve was up and trying to get to them. When we released them, he instantly started schooling with them and he immediately perked up. I swear to god, he was leading them around the tank like he was showing them the lay of the land. It was so cute and he has looked so much healthier and happier. 

Having an aquarium is a lot more work than you think, but it’s definitely a discussion piece with every guest in our house and it’s awesome to see it everytime you come home. 

[sonar]

6 minutes ago, CaptainJess said:

I could quite happily watch my fish tank for hours. It’s very therapeutic. It’s also interesting to see the different groups and personalities that form. Fish have little quirks that you pick up on as the community develops. 

For instance, we have a little tetra we named Steve. He has survived an ick outbreak, algae bloom and the rest of his school dying off. He’s quite a survivor. 

He’s been alone in the tank for about a month or so. We felt so bad for him but we needed to do a full replenish of the water and a thorough clean before we got any more fish. Now we’ve got it all sorted, we got more tetras the other day as I mentioned above. 

As soon as we floated the new tetras in their bag, Steve was up and trying to get to them. When we released them, he instantly started schooling with them and he immediately perked up. I swear to god, he was leading them around the tank like he was showing them the lay of the land. It was so cute and he has looked so much healthier and happier. 

Having an aquarium is a lot more work than you think, but it’s definitely a discussion piece with every guest in our house and it’s awesome to see it everytime you come home. 

I had one the same size as yours when I lived in Adelaide. Gave the house a tranquil feel. When I returned home to Sydney I gave it away for free to a good home....I had recieved the tank and fish from a mate (who had scored a big job in WA mining sector),with the proviso that if I moved and I couldn't take it with me I also gave it away for free. Happy to spread the joy. 

[sonar]

6 hours ago, Erimus said:

Thanks Jess. That tank looks awesome!

Also just to avoid confusion...not going for salt water fish. The guidelines stated that you should include a pinch of some fancy salt ( not normal table salt) in the water for all fish as aparently they need this.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fish+tanks+for+beginners

[wendybr]

On ‎10‎/‎09‎/‎2019 at 7:59 PM, CaptainJess said:

I could quite happily watch my fish tank for hours. It’s very therapeutic. It’s also interesting to see the different groups and personalities that form. Fish have little quirks that you pick up on as the community develops. 

For instance, we have a little tetra we named Steve. He has survived an ick outbreak, algae bloom and the rest of his school dying off. He’s quite a survivor. 

He’s been alone in the tank for about a month or so. We felt so bad for him but we needed to do a full replenish of the water and a thorough clean before we got any more fish. Now we’ve got it all sorted, we got more tetras the other day as I mentioned above. 

As soon as we floated the new tetras in their bag, Steve was up and trying to get to them. When we released them, he instantly started schooling with them and he immediately perked up. I swear to god, he was leading them around the tank like he was showing them the lay of the land. It was so cute and he has looked so much healthier and happier. 

Having an aquarium is a lot more work than you think, but it’s definitely a discussion piece with every guest in our house and it’s awesome to see it everytime you come home. 

I agree with those who have presented the upside of having fish. They are lovely to sit and watch...but they are quite a bit of work, and a responsibility People who dont see it that way shouldnt have pets....and fish become pets, and their lives and wellbeing depend on their owners.

Jess mentioned a Silver Dollar. They are great fish. They have their own personalities...well in the bigger fish you can clearly see that with all of them. Bold and timid, aggressive and placid etc.

We had one Silver Dollar which jumped at its own shadow, and, sadly, leapt out of the tank when part of the lid was off...and died. 

The other grew to about half the size of my palm...and cruised the tank for years, without bothering any of the other fish of various sizes.

I've argued about whether fish have feelings waayyyy back on the Politics forum  with a well known adversary. I used the example of an Angel fish who I SWEAR tried to support/prop up it's dying mate/sibling for days.

For days, as one kept flopping over on its side, the other stayed by it, and tried to nudge it upright/ prop it up.

It was heartbreaking..... but illustrated to me that animals can show empathy.

Even lower order creatures have feelings.

Anyway...let us know how you and the lad go with it, Smoggy.

😊😊