Pets

jen · Post by **jen** » 20 May 2007, 18:55

My cat came from the RSPCA Moose and he has been anightmare from day one! I don't want to put you off getting a rescue cat but make sure you find out as much as you can about its past first............don't make the same mistake I did!

Moose · Post by **Moose** » 20 May 2007, 18:57

Oh dear

. What about it makes it a nightmare? I was just thinking that I didn't really want a kitten and that there were zillions of cats out there wanting homes but still I don't want one that is going to be difficult to live with or not house trained or something

jen · Post by **jen** » 20 May 2007, 19:00

My last cat was a rescue cat too and he was fine. I just didn't check this one out well enough. He can open all the doors in my house, eats anything and everything, burps and farts in your face, bites, scratches and is generally a pain in the bum. If you do enough research then you can find your perfect animal through a rescue centre and like I say my last cat was fantastic.

Mollybob · Post by **Mollybob** » 20 May 2007, 19:53

Your cat sounds quite a handful Jen!
My Gran had several rescue cats, all of which were fine. However, as you say it is best to check their history first.
Both my dogs are both rescue dogs from Italy. Molly was the puppy of a stray and I got her by contacting a vet because I was looking for a dog to adopt. Bob just followed me home one day after I stopped to stroke him. He had been dumped him on the side of the road. He ended up being a very expensive acquisition as he was ill, but I couldn't resist him.
I would like to get a cat too, but these two are terrible with cats and I don't think it would be very fair on the cat.

Moose · Post by **Moose** » 20 May 2007, 20:01

That's what worries me .. if I get both a cat and a dog is it better to get each at the same time or to get one at a time and then attempt to introduce them slowly? If I do that latter, which would people suggest that I get first?

Mollybob · Post by **Mollybob** » 20 May 2007, 21:28

Maybe you could ask the rescue centre for advice. They usually know which dogs are good with cats and I suppose it's always possible that they have a dog and a cat who originally came from the same home.

Moose · Post by **Moose** » 20 May 2007, 21:29

That would be very cool

someone suggested to me that I rescue a greyhound cos there are loads of them that need homes and they are often shot

. But greyhounds are apparently appalling with cats, for obvious reasons.

Mollybob · Post by **Mollybob** » 20 May 2007, 22:10

When I lived in Reading I regularly used to meet a lady out walking who had about 14 rescue greyhounds! She used to walk 7 at a time (the old ones and then the young ones).
I think that if you're unsure, the general rule is to get the cat first and then find a dog that's good with cats. That way the dog is introduced into the cat's home, rather than vice versa.

Ming · Post by **Ming** » 21 May 2007, 08:18

I'm pretty sure, Moose, that you have a hamster!

peppermint peppy · Post by **peppermint peppy** » 21 May 2007, 09:31

We had a nice black Panda-Hamster.He had got pink little feet and a pink little tail.
Really a pretty bloke.But if I reminisce

about the din in the night..............

Moonraker · Post by **Moonraker** » 21 May 2007, 10:11

peppermint peppy wrote:But when I remember the din in the night..............

We used to look after a friend's hamster while they were on holiday. What is the point? They sleep all day, then make a racket all night.

Still, next door's cat seemed to like it......

Anna Moss · Post by **Anna Moss** » 27 May 2007, 17:21

jen wrote:Hi Anna, I have two guinea pigs too. They are really my daughters and they are called Meg and Mog. I also have a mad cat called Ralph that thinks he's a dustbin. I'd love to have a whole menagerie but I haven't got room, although I am contemplating a goat and some chickens.

Jen

Oh cool! coinsedience that you have two guinea pigs!
what breed are they? mine are aguiti and abys.

jen · Post by **jen** » 28 May 2007, 09:27

This is going to sound really ignorant but I have no idea what they are, they are just guinea pigs!! I don't even know whether they are boys or girls but I do know they are both the same!

I have to fess, my cat paid a visit to the house two doors up last night and devoured their little girls guinea pig which they had foolishly left out of the hutch completely uncovered and unsupervised. So far I have got away with it but only because I was the only one to see him regurgitate the evidence!!

Mollybob · Post by **Mollybob** » 28 May 2007, 10:02

We have just acquired two rabbits - a white one and a grey one. Someone had obviously dumped them in the countryside, as they were sitting by the roadside in the middle of nowhere, so my fiancee rescued them and bought them home. We've bought them a hutch and run and they now look quite happy in our garden

Steve Alpe · Post by **Steve Alpe** » 04 Jun 2007, 13:00

We have 2 cats - 1 male and 1 female called Tom and Sophie. My step-daughter has 2 Russian Hamsters - who I feed and water everyday and she occasionally cleans out - I do not know their names.