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What Floats Your Boat 4

mack

By mack
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wendybr

wendybr

Posted
Posted
On ‎13‎/‎01‎/‎2019 at 11:53 PM, wendybr said:

I'm back in Sydney after a week and a bit away.

The swimming was lousy (red weed, freezing water and windy on the beach).

Neither of those floated my boat....but what does FMB is that I've brought back another cat!!!

I know that news will totally delight the many cat lovers here on the forums! :lol: :lol:

He's a gorgeous 17 year old fluffy, pale ginger male called Benny - who belonged to my aunt, and then my sister, but he now needs a new home.

He travelled pretty well, is confidently making himself at home, and will be gradually introduced to the rest of the herd (of 5 other cats) over coming days!  :):)

Only EmMac responded to my original post here - so maybe she is the only non-cat-hater here?

IDK... but something is floating my boat atm....despite the dismal outcome of tonight's game.

As I sit at the computer, I'm looking into the loungeroom at Benny - lying with his back to Tommy, Indy and Cleo...who are all snoozing at various distances from him.

It's been 9 days since I returned from my rescue mission with Benny, and for most of those 9 days, he's been kept well away from the others - who all freaked out in their own ways at the sight and smell of an interloper under their roof.

Slowly slowly, and one by one, I've been trying to introduce him to the others...which he is happy about :D (he wants to be one of the gang) but this is the first time he has been able to lounge around in close proximity to even one other.

Progress!! :xbop:

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SomeGuy1977

SomeGuy1977

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Posted
On 22/01/2019 at 10:28 PM, wendybr said:

Only EmMac responded to my original post here - so maybe she is the only non-cat-hater here?

IDK... but something is floating my boat atm....despite the dismal outcome of tonight's game.

As I sit at the computer, I'm looking into the loungeroom at Benny - lying with his back to Tommy, Indy and Cleo...who are all snoozing all various distances from him.

It's been 9 days since I returned from my rescue mission with Benny, and for most of those 9 days, he's been kept well away from the others - who all freaked out in their own ways at the sight and smell of an interloper under their roof.

Slowly slowly, and one by one, I've been trying to introduce him to the others...which he is happy about :D (he wants to be one of the gang) but this is the first time he has been able to lounge around in close proximity to even one other.

Progress!! :xbop:

I've always found it funny how cats react to new cats being introduced into the family. In every case (which I know isn't unusual), the cat (or cats) have always hated the new cat being introduced to the house and **** fights ensue. My cats have always hated change, and they don't like to share. And god forbid you bring in a dog (which I have done, and the poor creature nearly had an eye taken out by one of the cats; he was a street fighter who ruled the roost and would **** any dog up). Cats seem to hold a permanent grudge against any new animal.

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wendybr

wendybr

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Posted
5 hours ago, SomeGuy1977 said:

I've always found it funny how cats react to new cats being introduced into the family. In every case (which I know isn't unusual), the cat (or cats) have always hated the new cat being introduced to the house and **** fights ensue. My cats have always hated change, and they don't like to share. And god forbid you bring in a dog (which I have done, and the poor creature nearly had an eye taken out by one of the cats; he was a street fighter who ruled the roost and would **** any dog up). Cats seem to hold a permanent grudge against any new animal.

You're right about the initial reaction for sure!!

But the "permanent grudge" hasn't been our experience.

It's gone well for us over the years...and apologies because I have posted about this before. But the previous Alpha male ( about 15) is a softie at heart, and NOW adores the mother cat who arrived with her 3 tiny wild kittens about 6 years ago. He wouldn't have a bar of them at first … until he had to be confined for 6 weeks recovering from an operation...and I started letting the mother cat in with him to share a warm room (and love subsequently bloomed between them). :lol:

With the 3 kittens, the old boy got on well with one of the mother cat's male sons, but didn't much like the other two  although they didn't fight.

Then a year later, we acquired 3 more kittens, two of which we found homes for - but ended up keeping the third. It was a joy to watch all the others ( then 6 cats) mothering this new kitten, The 3 adult male cats were more attentive, and groomed her and played more patiently with her than the 3 females did. It was unbelievable.

With Benny (the current interloper) who has been curious and friendly, and is now eager to be accepted, the others are juuuust getting to the point where he is being seen as part of the furniture. I can't wait to see who he pals up with. The inter relationships between individual cats is fascinating.

Honestly, people who don't like cats are denying themselves interesting and kind of complicated companions. Well...far more complicated than dogs.

Sure with a dog you'll get energy, fun and very overt affection. And I do like dogs.

But cats are more multidimensional, and far more individual. Probably dependent on their early socialisation, you CAN get an unloveable cat.

But most are good pets...and I've found them to generally accept any additions to the family after a few weeks - but the integration process needs to be closely supervised, and does take time. LOL- it's lucky I've been on hols!

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wendybr

wendybr

Posted
Posted

Here's another Benny Br update for the legions of you who are interested. :lol:

Now as I type, I am watching Benny out the window, lying about 1 metre away from Tommy - a 10kg whopper (son of the mother cat)...and a total Nervous Nelly.

Benny just marched up the verandah to within a metre of where Tommy has been crouching and eyeing him off at a safe distance, and flopped down in front of him.  Tommy looked a little alarmed, but didn't scoot off as he would have done a week ago, didn't hiss (in fear) and has just stayed there, now resting his head on his paws, watching Benny.

More progress! :xbop:

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wendybr

wendybr

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, sonar said:

Nephew: Mum, I'm so bored....I actually want to go to school.....

His Mum : Good, my work here is done then...…

:rofl:

Shame about  homework, and projects/assignments (now generally called assessment tasks). Most kids seem happy enough while they're actually at school - well, from my observations they are. 

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wendybr

wendybr

Posted
Posted

How good is THIS!!

My understanding from the kids I teach is that school in China (and if they live at school which many do, the school day starts at 6am out on the school oval) starts with group exercise.

It actually probably isn't a bad idea at all tbh.

But how good is this???

 

PS I hope he hasn't lost his job.

https://www.npr.org/2019/01/23/687749466/watch-in-china-school-principal-leads-students-in-dancing-to-a-new-beat

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Prydzopolis

Prydzopolis

Posted
Posted

I find it difficult to traverse the forums with only 1 hand!

On cats accepting new interlopers in the house, we couldn't cope with 2 cats & a baby in a small unit. Initially it was cute, they were curious & wellbehaved but once they realised they weren't Center of attention it all went to ****! They knocked over the breast milk cause they wanted it, jumped into the bassinet (thank god he wasn't in there & final straw was when the baby startled our angry grey person & scratched him. Was too hard keeping an eye on two cats & a baby. They found a home with our sister in law temporary before a permanent ho e with my mother in law. 

On cats accepting cats. We initially had a grey person & our neighbor in south Windsor was planning on handing in a whole litter of cats (if you know what I mean) we managed to give away most of them. We had twins in the townhouse with our persian and was a disaster. Hissing, swiping & stressful for all of them. When it came to the last cat to find a home, we couldn't find anyone. So whilst we were Looking we had them both in the townhouse together. We were worried so kept them apart but within a few hours the grey Persian actually opened a sliding door & fathered/mothered him ever since (even breastfed him :crazy:). This how you'll find them on any give. Day

 

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wendybr

wendybr

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Posted

Ohhhh that's lovely!!

Thanks for sharing your observations Prydz!

Re cats and babies - I absolutely wouldn't have combined them - and I'm glad you were able to rehome them! Yes - lucky baby Prydz wasn't in the bassinet when the cat hopped in. That would have been FAR too much of a worry for me.!

Re progress on integrating Benny - it has been happening slowly and under close supervision.

He is the most beautiful and placid creature - and is unbelievably friendly and totally unthreatening to the others. He has been hissed at by all when he has, very naively, approached each of the others in a friendly (even eager manner) and tried to greet them face to face (by sniffing noses...as cats do when greeting each other). But some are now sort of allowing him nearby without being too agitated.

A couple are still wary,  but are getting used to seeing him around inside and outside (and still under supervision).

Tomorrow is three weeks, and there have thankfully been zero traumas, and the members of the herd are getting more accepting and less threatened. But it will be a few more weeks til Benny is one of them.  :):)

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wendybr

wendybr

Posted
Posted
36 minutes ago, Prydzopolis said:

So whilst we were Looking we had them both in the townhouse together. We were worried so kept them apart but within a few hours the grey Persian actually opened a sliding door & fathered/mothered him ever since (even breastfed him :crazy:). This how you'll find them on any give. Day

 

PS I think I've said it before, but I'd ALWAYS have 2 cats rather than 1.

I'd probably make it 2 males or two females though...and would prefer males (who I have always found much more snuggly and affectionate than females, perhaps surprisingly).

The sister of the 2 brothers we kept was pestered by her brothers for wrestling games etc, and were much bigger/stronger then her, and too rough when they wanted to play... as adults. She bossed them as kittens, though.

But I feel really sorry for cats raised alone. They are not solitary creatures at all, from my experience and observations.

PPS I guess I'm referring to cats from the same litter - might be different in other circumstances - as for our old boy and the mother cat, who adore each other. 

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Prydzopolis

Prydzopolis

Posted
Posted
On 2 February 2019 at 3:36 PM, wendybr said:

PS I think I've said it before, but I'd ALWAYS have 2 cats rather than 1.

I'm sure I've said previously but our grey Persian was by itself, the meanest, angriest & petulant pet I've ever met! Once he met his new friend, he completely changed into a different cat. Night & day difference in personality 

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wendybr

wendybr

Posted
Posted (edited)

 Benny (the cat) ...interloper/intruder/new kid on the block (at 17 years of age) shared dinner with 3 of his feline housemates tonight.

One ate nose to nose with him....while another stuck his head under Benny's chin to hoover up a few last morsels of food! :yahoo:

He's become part of the furniture to 3 of the other 5 cats after 3 weeks and one day!!  

Three down, two to go (in terms of his being accepted into the herd!)  :xbop:

Edited by wendybr
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wendybr

wendybr

Posted
Posted

WFMB

On playground duty at school today - I was supervising one of the ovals.

There were 7 football games on the oval that I was overseeing.

One group of 7 Yr 7 boys was  playing tip footy. One group of 7 senior boys I think was playing what looked like a cross between RL and maybe gridiron (in the way they threw the ball sometimes). Mainly they were mucking around.

And then there were 5 other much bigger groups of kids playing football - including 2 girl groups - (or groups with lots of girls).

At least one out of two groups spread out on the second oval were kicking around a football (part of the field was obscured from where I was).

I posted about this a few years back - when the balance was in favour of football...but now the balance was very strongly in favour of football, as opposed to eggball games.  :)

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