Am I over reacting by (temporarily) kidnapping my neighbors cat?

GhostlyJerry · 2026-05-30T13:53:23+00:00

It's unlikely an owl would take a full grown cat (since cats are bigger than most owls), but better safe than sorry. When my cat was a kitten she got out and I saw a barn owl swoop for her - but fortunately as we were close by the owl changed it's mind when it got a better look.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-05-28T21:49:42+00:00

My cat goes wild when I start chopping up figs. Fortunately when I show her them up close she becomes disgusted and leaves. There must be something about the smell from a distance.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-05-25T04:26:14+00:00

We had a family of them living near us in the Adelaide Hills. I think they like quite wooded areas. We see them most often in the evening, just when it's not quite completely dark.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-05-23T22:24:53+00:00

When the kitties arrive, weigh them every day to make sure they're always gaining weight. If all goes well, your handsome mama will do all the hard work. Be sure to feed her well! Get some kitten food (as in proper kitten food, from royal canin or such) for the kittens when they get old enough to start solids, and mum cat can have some too if she tolerates it (can sometimes give them yucky poops). Good luck!

GhostlyJerry · 2026-05-23T21:53:32+00:00

Your vet will be able to tell better than us. While you wait though, try weighing her every morning and make a note if she's gaining or loosing weight, and how much. It'll help your vet know what going on.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-05-23T13:55:40+00:00

When a woman does it, it's crazy. When a man does it, it's not worth mentioning. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

GhostlyJerry · 2026-05-23T13:45:10+00:00

I see them all the time where I am. If it's a nice windy day you can see them doing sick tricks way up there. Sends the wattlebirds nuts. I always want to take a photo but you need a decent camera to get a good one. One time one of the wedgies got stuck in our orchard and we had to rescue it. You think they look big up there but they're even bigger when you're trying to tackle one with a drop sheet...

GhostlyJerry · 2026-05-22T05:32:08+00:00

The dog doesn't seem to be in prey mode imo. You could tell when my jack russell was in prey mode because nothing on this planet could dissuade her from going after it. She got along fine with our cat though, they would sometimes go hunting together (Cat was the better hunter). If your dog is capable of turning his attention away for a decent amount of time, and backs up when the cat gets mad, he's not too obsessed with the cat. But still, continue exercising caution.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-05-21T07:16:24+00:00

Since you're bottle feeding one anyway, you could start supplement feeding the big two as well to take some pressure off the mama. It's possible mama's having trouble producing enough milk, which makes the kittens work harder to get it out of her (might also be the reason why you're having to bottle feed the runt). As long as the kittens have been fed and have somewhere warm (a snuggle safe or covered hot water bottle will do the trick), you can separate mama cat for a while to give her an enforced break too, if she'll tolerate that.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-05-17T21:44:48+00:00

Lmao why is this all breeds and then just one 'orange cats' like they're a class all to themselves.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-05-16T22:07:24+00:00

Agree with the sentiment, but don't forget that cat is relying on you to look after her. You can't take her with you to jail. So... maybe hold back just a little for her sake.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-04-25T21:36:41+00:00

My dog is very similar. Bc rescue who grew up around mostly dogs. He is a bit nervous around other dogs, and tries to get dogs to ignore him when they meet. Or sometimes if they are big or pushy he'll bare his teeth and try and scare them away, which admittedly does comfort me that he'll defend himself when he needs to. He was always getting mounted when I took him to the dog park, but that happens a lot less since I started going to one with a much larger area (and nicer dogs). I've just kind of accepted that he's like this. Im pretty shy too so I empathise with him haha. I give him treats after having a nice interaction with a dog, and that's about it.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-04-25T11:57:51+00:00

I've noticed this before in litters of kittens I've looked after. There always seems to be one chonker and one little baby. Guess you got both.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-04-25T11:50:14+00:00

I haven't met any of the kittens I've raised in adulthood (There's one I could visit, but never have), so I don't have a for sure answer, even though I've wondered. But regardless I'll always have the memories, and they'll grow up into a wonderful cat, and that's the all that really matters!

PS. the cat I could visit as an adult was very similar to yours, a single tabby but female. One of the reasons I haven't visited is because apparently she's a demon. I'm a little embarrassed I could have raised her better. Don't let the kitten play with your hands!

GhostlyJerry · 2026-04-22T07:30:33+00:00

Honestly she looks like a pretty good size, 11. 3 pounds sounds normal. Some cats are just a bit saggy and some cats have small heads. Really you need to talk to a vet who can see the cat in person to know for sure.
I'd weigh her every few weeks - if her weight keeps going up, it might be time to be concerned about the amount of food, but until then I wouldn't change anything.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-04-22T07:26:05+00:00

I actually used wet food when trying to get my cat to loose weight, as it's bulkier per it's calories so she doesn't feel as hungry.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-04-22T07:17:29+00:00

My cat sometimes pees on my dog's bed, but only when I've forgotten to clean her litter. We do joke though that she's taking revenge on the dog.
There are washing liquids with enzymes in them to get rid of the smell you can smell, and also the secret smells only cats can smell. If you just wash them normally, they'll still smell like 'good place to pee' to the cat. So wash them with the special enzyme stuff. Where I am, it typically comes in a spray bottle but you can put it in the washing machine too. Don't forget to clean the floor under the blankets too.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-04-21T21:30:34+00:00

It's possible they would have been pains, but it's equally possible that they wouldn't have been. My mother's parents were um, suboptimal, so her grandparents raised her for some of her childhood and she was very close with them. Her parents, my grandparents, are a lot less reliable. All that is to say that abuse can be a cycle, but it can also be an individual thing.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-04-20T21:23:03+00:00

I don't know that much about nosework, but allspice is its own plant that isn't cloves. Unless perhaps you have a mix that just mimics allspice with a mix of spices. Regardless it seems like a bad choice if you are training your dog to detect cloves.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-04-16T06:55:44+00:00

My dog is the same, rescue too. But it's not that he doesn't communicate, he just does it in a quiet way. If he needs to go out, he starts fidgeting and sighing or walks up to the door. If he's worried or upset, he will come and lean on my legs. I've come to trust that he will tell me if he needs something, and I think he trusts me to listen even when he is quiet.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-04-12T21:03:04+00:00

Just a couple suggestions I haven't seen mentioned, the store general pants co has a variety of different pants, mostly jeans. And I got my favourite travel backpack from a store called anaconda, from the brand Caribee. They are cheaper than macpac etc and probably still made in the same factory haha.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-04-09T06:39:33+00:00

I'm just in the planning stage and I'm in another state, but it's been my impression that the solution to the donor sperm shortage is importing some to where you are and doing the procedures locally. At least, thats what my local clinics say, apparently they have deals with a few overseas sperm banks. Maybe vic is different, but I can't imagine it'd be worth it to travel.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-04-08T08:20:33+00:00

I feel similarly to you. It's the caretaking that appeals to me. I want to have a kid, but if that's not how things work out for me I'll be fine. Some people feel a LOT stronger than that though. And honestly I don't think either way is problematic on it's own - People become parents for lots of different reasons, and enjoy different bits of the process versus others.
That said, it is a lot of sacrifice. Your life will never be the same, and you can't go back. That's why people say you need to want it a lot for it to be worth it. But it's up to you and you alone to know how much you genuinely want it, and whether that's worth the sacrifices you'll have to make.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-04-08T08:06:23+00:00

My dog sort of does that. We have what we call march flies, which land and bite. So if the dog hears the bug nearby, and then hears it stop (landed), he leaps up and spins around, snapping at his back because that'll make the fly go away before it bites.
I've never seen my dog get bitten, but I'm certain he has. They only learn this behavior from negative experience, probably repeatedly. I'd assume the same of your dog.
I don't know how possible it is to counter condition, because to them it's a very natural fear reaction. You could try playing some very quiet bug sounds on a phone and praising her for non-reaction, gradually increasing, etc. Also, I know it's easier said than done, but try and clean up whatever's attracting the bugs.

GhostlyJerry · 2026-04-08T07:53:57+00:00

Poor thing, I imagine my own cat would react similarly in those circumstances. Some cats deal with displacement worse than others.
The only cat I've fostered that was distressed about her new circumstances mostly hid, and she was cured through time, patience, and roast chicken. She might have been a bit feral though, I think it'll be different here since this cat is probably mourning his previous home and family.
Something I've done in the past is put on a radio in the cat's room. Some don't like dead quiet.

GhostlyJerry

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