I need some help with this

@sammydog01 DYI huh? Interesting!

@sammydog01 @therealjrn We had the same kind of cardboard tube, free from a home improvement store back then, and wrapped it in a cheap carpet remnant which was taller than the tube, so folded it into the top and stuffed a pillow in it; that was his favorite cat bed. No base but we had it strapped to a nearby stair post or eyehook in the wall.

It also outlasted my wife’s cat.

@Cerridwyn oh my gosh yes, milk rings! Fun for hours for kitties!

@Cerridwyn @moonhat Yeah I had forgotten about those. Well until I start looking under the fridge and furniture they can’t get under. Those places are milk ring (and other toys) secret banks.

@Kidsandliz @moonhat
yeah
if you’re not a milk drinker, maybe you have a friend that is.
cause if they are a fetcher, it’s hours of entertainment - for free

@Cerridwyn @Kidsandliz @moonhat Nice. Good idea!

@therealjrn
To get them started on the dancing

@therealjrn are we going with acrobat instead of pole dancer? Maybe gargoyle?

Idk say Chimera but she clearly has the legs of a goat and only the face of a lion. Not vice versa.

@moonhat is to blame!

@therealjrn I’ll keep showing mine if you keep showing yours.
I certainly recommend keeping them indoors.

https://explodingkittens.com/kittyconvict

I’ve never had a non fixed male but all the girls went for a bit without it. The last/youngest I found starving to death in my back yard. The vet also thought she was still pregenet so we held the shots… she never had kittens/probably already had them and we couldn’t find them but she’d have died on her own anyway. So so least we saved her. She gets cute for a few days then EXTREMELY annoying/won’t leave you alone for a minute for several days. But pandemic haven’t been able to get her in.

Long story short. Fix/spay them and keep them inside if pets. TNR works well for barn cats.n

@therealjrn if you don’t fix either it probably won’t take long for them to do… Something

@unksol

Long story short. Fix/spay them and keep them inside if pets.

Oh yes. I’m going to keep them strictly inside. The rescue place won’t approve adoptions and actually they have a contract you sign to keep them inside. I didn’t need a contract, that was my plan anyway.

Part of the adoption fee also covers the spay/neuter and 2 doctor visits to get them off to a good start.

After they get a little more settled in I’ll be able to take better pictures. Right now I have some pictures of them scampering around, but they’re not very good.

@therealjrn I missed where you got them. All of mine… For lack of a better word. I “caught” at work. Other than the last one although I work from home now so… I guess still true.

But really just found as obvious kittens or abandoned and every shelter I’ve been to and the one I’ve worked at… They are already overwhelmed. Hard to give up a kitten to that even though they will be the first to go. Never mind a young cat.

Still have to keep an eye on who you let in. I let some kid stay with my girlfriends sister for a week once and had a very scardy cat who i was used to hiding from new people. So didn’t expect to see her. He left a window open and a door to a room that was locked intentionally… Neither of which he should have been touching. Never saw her again…

But then I also thought a door shut behind me once and it didn’t quiet click. Wind blew it open. Cats get weird if they’ve never been out and suddenly are. Freaks them out. I got one back in but… He murdered my arm till I got him through the door and he calmed down. The other ran 30 feet up a walnut tree and I spent a month trying to get her down she just went higher. Couldn’t figure out how to get down… Didn’t make it…

@therealjrn long story short mind your doors and people. And what ever you do don’t let them have access to a non locked sliding screen door. Once they see when they hit it it moves those rascals will figure out how to knock it open

@unksol That is sad about your kitties. Mine have gotten out only a few times by accident but either I caught them or they came back. I discovered once when that happened that my current 19 year old will only walk on pavement. Grass and dirt no way. I had two previous cats (been dead 22 and 19 years) I took outside on harnesses/leashes and once they got over wearing a harness they loved that. The one would quiver in excitement. He is the same one who lay on the flower box of lawn I grew for them so much that the grass was killed due to not enough light.

I’ve had several who have figured out how to open drawers and cabinets. I watched one of mine spend about 45 minutes working on a drawer - both from the countertop and floor. He finally figured out if he was on the floor and slid his front legs between pull and the drawer and leaned forward that he could get the drawer open. He’d then jump back up on the kitchen counter and root around in there (silverware drawer). I have two cabinets right now I had to put child proof latches on due to what is in them and two of my current suckers have figured out how to get into them.

@Kidsandliz lol they can paw their way into most of the cabinets. I don’t worry about it much. Once in a great while I find him in one above the counter but there’s nothing in there for him so. Just being a cat. “Closed door must go in”. Although he’s started to slow down. I don’t store the treats in a drawer/cabinet with an exposed edge for them to pry on anymore. They’d be too motivated to figure that out

@Kidsandliz @therealjrn oh also if you buy them treats put them away asap. If you are lazy like I am some days. Or you forget to put it away . Or just pick a bad place. they will find the bag/box of treats and put 100 claw marks and stomp them to death. I promise this had happened multiple times. I just mix it in their food at that point . Yes I’ve seen it happen to a box where they try to get to them.

@Kidsandliz @therealjrn I really don’t know what his thought process is but who ever knows. I guess I had left the door open that time.

https://www.target.com/c/cat-trees-towers-furniture-supplies-pets/-/N-5xt3x

They have some fun little houses, small cat tunnels and great cat toys.

ALSO: These are a must

and not so shameless morningsave plug:

Don’t forget about these if you want a small space for a cheap price.

ETA: JK, sold out of the seats.

@riskybryzness @therealjrn also don’t forget @lisaviolet sells her home grown cat bait cat nip. Also cats love paper bags, empty boxes… keep them away from rubber bands, string and yarn though as they can get caught up in their intestines and the problem then often has to be solved by surgery. Someone posted the cool cat house they made out of pasta drop package. Many cats are thrilled with chasing laser lights (keep it out of their eyes), things dangling from door knobs, a nail over a door, from a stick… They like those circle things with a ball inside the ring.

A friend bought her cat this
https://www.chewy.com/cats-meow-motorized-chaser-cat-toy/dp/179087?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Cat's Meow&utm_term=&gclid=CjwKCAjwlZf3BRABEiwA8Q0qq4X-6pgA5PPsU97eCrKRuYGtO_jW5iDf3OjC9ozNd3MkZHksR8ZZJhoCoj8QAvD_BwE
and he goes crazy over it. There are several similar models out there made by different companies.

They have fun with ping pong balls in the bathtub (although little kittens often can’t get out of the bath tub themselves). Anything that rolls, they can catch a claw on and then throw and it rolls… most of mine over the years have liked things like that.

Also Home Goods often has pet stuff (random stuff at any given time) and prices are generally really good.

@Kidsandliz @riskybryzness Thanks, it’s been awhile since I’ve had kittens. I have a good supply of toys laid in. I’ll need to hit up @lisaviolet for some kitty crack. That Costco tree looks pretty good!

@RiotDemon haha
The darker male is named Chocolate Chip and his little sister is named Snickerdoodle. lol

I need to shorten those up I think. I may call the boy CeeCee and the girl? Oh, I don’t know, Snickers maybe?

Foster mama’s girls named them heh. I’m not any good at naming pets.

@therealjrn I mean, they are young enough that you could change their names completely if you want instead of just shortening them. Remember that you will have to use this name at the vet, pet boarding, etc. If you feel silly calling their name in public, it becomes kind of weird, lol.

Theme names are easy. When I first adopted my dog the entire litter had Christmas themed names even though they were born in September. My dog was Tinsel. I said, hell no, and continued on with a space theme name.

Characters from your favorite movie, or a hobby come up with some fun names.

/youtube Gus Johnson Midwestern dog names

@RiotDemon @therealjrn I don’t think names matter much to cats - that has been my experience anyway. I have a habit of giving pets nicknames and use them instead of whatever the rest of the family names them. For example, our current cats (brother/sister pair) have the “official” names Mac and Molly. But I call them Dude and Doodle. Like typical cats, they respond/ignore either set of names at their whim. I have a theory that they associate the names with the person rather than with themselves.

@macromeh @RiotDemon @therealjrn lol I can’t share the things I yell at the cats beyond kittyface and cocoface. Everyone comes running for “treat”

@macromeh @RiotDemon @therealjrn @unksol ‘You with the kitty whiskers’ or, more often ‘dammit cat!’ is heard around here.

@therealjrn so sweet.

@RiotDemon @therealjrn that really shows their contrasting patterns. They sort of merge color wise at the hind feet area. Never seen cats sleep like that

@therealjrn Did you tie the tails together Adorable!

@speediedelivery Ha ha. They are adorable!

@RiotDemon Those look great. 20 years ago I had one of those round roller ball things. Gizmo loved it. I have already ordered one last week lol.

@RiotDemon @therealjrn These things are a big hit with my cats too. The other similar thing they like is the kind with the ball that rolls around the circle but it is a tube instead with various holes to put one’s paws in to get at the ball. Don’t keep these in or near your bedroom though as you will get to enjoy the noise from a middle of the night playtime.

@stolicat so cute!

@stolicat aw. The price is right, huh.

Here’s a nice grey one:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/273965889494

Here’s the actual color of the one I bought:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/311358555698

Anyway, my point is, eBay has good prices.

@RiotDemon And a very good point it is! Thank you.

@PocketBrain I’ve been looking at some YouTube videos, looks pretty easy.

@PocketBrain @therealjrn when I looked at doing my own years ago the cost of the rope was an issue. Just made more sense to buy one. But looks like harbor freight has some cheap rope if you have one close

https://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-inch-x-50-ft-sisal-rope-91912.html

@therealjrn @unksol Oh yeah, lower half of that (under the picture) has one column wrapped now, one bare. Rocky (top of picture) likes bare wood, and he shreds like a beaver! Hattie likes the rope. Got Sisal rope for cheap; if you don’t find it immediately available, just build the condo first and wait for a sale or clearance. For anybody stuck at home or out of work, I’d say DIY is the path to take. It’s confusing, entertaining, and fascinating for the cats and keeps you busy as well, while (hopefully) saving you a few dollars.

@PocketBrain I can’t see the image on any of my browsers. Do you have it somewhere I can see it? I’d like to see what you built.

@Kidsandliz I’ll probably need to pay more attention.

@mike808 I’ve been to our store. But the way you phrase that means shopping Target or Walmart is “supporting my local businesses” LOL
Thanks Mike.

@therealjrn Clearly, you are ignorant of the fact that Pet Supplies Plus is 100% franchised. Not at all like your “local” Walmart or Target as you falsely imply.

Dollars spent at locally-owned businesses stay in the community and generate more value to that community than do shareholder profit centers that suck dollars out of a community.

And the “giveback” programs Walmart and Target make lots of noise about are noble and well intentioned. However, they are simply an additional involuntary tax on the customer (via higher prices) to a cause selected solely by the management, not the customer paying the 5% surcharge that funds the “X% gift to local cause Y” programs. It is a PR gimmick, and likely even to be accounted for in the advertising budgets - the purpose is not to affect change with the donation, but to generate goodwill to affect your vendor selection in their favor.

Choosing where you spend your money at is not a binary “local” vs “non-local” owned businesses choice, but an informed choice influenced by many factors. For me, choosing a locally run businesses has more weight than other factors, sometimes more than convenience or price or whatever.

@mike808 Clearly, you can not resist a chance to virtue signal.

I submit to you that Target & Walmart contribute much more to the local economy in people employed, taxes paid, money saved and the like. Your little franchise store pales in comparison.

You must be fun at parties.

@therealjrn You clearly don’t consider the costs walmart in particular have burdened the communities with their stores.

But hey, let your ignorance flag fly, bro.

@mike808 LOL you’re so et up.

Feel free to keep posting so we can keep talking past each other.

@f00l That’s why I have 2 litter-mates. They can attack each other rather than me.

@f00l @therealjrn lol one wants in the covers/to snuggle/knead. Paws at covers in winter then there is a whole in and out thing to settle him in. Shows up almost immediately when you go to bed. Sort of annoying but cute. The other likes to show up by my feet/legs later… If you roll over or change position and accidentally kick her your up for some surprised kitty claws. She got me last night. Cat scratches come with them and I don’t believe in declawing.

Just looked at what they have on sale. A bit misleading. Some stuff is 30% off, a lot is less. This cat three, by the way, is great! Two ADULT cats can sit on the top. I have it by a window. If you don’t put things they can sit on by windows they will sit on whatever is there to look out so think about how to fulfill the “I must sit by the window and I don’t care what is going to accidentally get knocked off to do so. It’s your fault you haven’t arranged this window to my satisfaction”.

I got this at a black friday probably 8ish years ago and it is still in good shape. As adults they love how high the sisal scratcher goes as they can really stretch out. You will need some decent scratchers or your furniture will be toast. The cardboard ones the cats like too but they create a big mess with cardboard flakes.

https://www.petsmart.com/cat/beds-and-furniture/whisker-city-rest-and-play-tunnel-color-varies-36446.html?cgid=200201

The top platform is big enough for two adult cats to comfortably be on it so no one gets shoved off in a window space competition. When you buy cat trees take that into consideration and read the reviews for that. Many trees out there have platforms that are really too small for anything other than kittens.

@moonhat definitely did whatever it is you’re mad about.

Giphy is trying to tell me something. OK, maybe two cats.

@ThunderChicken If you go that route I think you’ll get more than two if you aren’t careful

@cranky1950 Reading the negative reviews if someone buys this they’d need to cut off the dangle ball as cats jumping down have gotten it tightly wrapped around tails and paws and then hang by that. It doesn’t break away apparently.

The person who took care of my cats last week has one that looks very similar to this (no ball hanging by a string though - maybe she cut it off?) anyway my 19 year old liked being in that house looking thing on the second to top level. The top level of the one she had didn’t look like it could handle really big cats though. That platform was sort of small.