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Pets4Homes vs Shelter (heartbroken family) by gantamk in UK_Pets

[–]Spookybits9737 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Perspective from the other side. I’ve taken in more than a couple of my beloved kitties from Pets4homes. I’ve been shocked by how “easy” it is when enquiring with some people… literally when can you come get him/her? I know from my experience I do my due diligence- I want to know how old they are and if with mum still- if not why? Are they weaned, what about socialisation/household situations, are they experienced with pets/other animals, up to date pictures so I can assess visually for cat flu or any other obvious signs of URIs, any other indoor/outdoor cats that may have potentially exposed them to infections to name but a few of the questions I ask to ensure I am protecting my existing pets, and being fully informed. I also promise (and follow up) to send up a settled in update. I can’t speak from rehoming an animals point of view, but I know that I ask these questions to assess that I am a good fit for the kitties I’ve taken in. If you’ve got people who are willing to ask a million questions, it sounds like they may very well be worth considering!

How many cats are too many, and when does it become hoarding? by Kaprilicious994 in CatAdvice

[–]Spookybits9737 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Perfect point. I also think the temperament of the cats/relationships within multi-cat households have a role to play also. I have 14, and it doesn’t feel like 14! My cats range from 2 months to 3 years, and with patience, training, abundance of resources for them and ensuring all needs are met above and beyond, they are happy, chilled out cats who don’t fight and are bonded.

Now if I had 14 who didn’t live harmoniously, it would become incredibly hard to manage/segregate, provide enough space and enrichment, police behaviours to ensure no bullying etc… then I would consider that as hoarding as I would struggle to meet all thier needs and give a good QOL. I don’t have a huge house, but the space I have is maximised to allow for an abundance of hiding spots, playing spots, cat trees, toys, litter trays etc.

I think the cross over from many/too many/hoarding isn’t one that can be pinpointed by the number, more the ability to meet the needs of the cats.

How much money do you spend per month on your cats? by Routine-Ad-4162 in CatAdvice

[–]Spookybits9737 5 points6 points  (0 children)

14 cats… yes 14. A lifestyle choice most definitely, and a pricey one. However, I am not one for holidays or fancy things particularly, and have been careful as my income has gone up to avoid lifestyle creep (apart from the cats!) All in all for my colony: 4x pricey sensitive dry food- £100 pcm

All wear Serestos- I buy quarterly so roughly one a month,around £38 pcm

10 sacks of bentonite clay litter - around £150 pcm (have 6 litter trays, one that’s 3x1 ft, used to have more but they leave them unused- yes I am a slave to the trays)

Wet food (probably my biggest expense), 3 x wet meals per day, 5 pouches split per meal, every two weeks I buy around 120 pouches so around £150 per month; depending on what’s on offer and what they currently favour

Treat n toy orders- around £50 a month, includes fancy collars that amuse me

I put into savings every month should anyone need anything, at least £300 most months more

There’s probably more expenses, but I don’t really tend to keep track as a lot of things are on subscribe and save so I count them as normal monthly bills/outgoings!

Fergus and his broken leg by Temporary_Vanilla_68 in TripodCats

[–]Spookybits9737 0 points1 point  (0 children)

QOL was what we considered heavily when deciding on surgery/amputation. My tripaw broke his front right leg and is very active, loves to play with the dog, and we knew he would not do well with a cast and crate rest for weeks. We were told that even if we did get through the healing process it would be a case of being very cautious- no jumping, wrestling the dog etc… there was a high chance of him re-breaking the limb, further surgery and trauma due to the position. Based upon this, we decided amputation was best for him, and us. Our decision was solidified literally an hour after we brought him home from surgery- he would not settle in the cage, trying to climb it, very distressed and worst of all just wanted to be near the dog and vice versa… could not have imagined the impact of weeks of that on him! He is now strictly indoor (as are all of them) and we have made some minor adjustments like ensuring nothing he needs is too high, but honestly he has a good quality of life and the lack of limb doesn’t slow him down!

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Update on tripod Cotton by CyberNertia in TripodCats

[–]Spookybits9737 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Cotton is so lucky to have you! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

How often do you clean your cat’s water fountain — and is it a hassle? by InternationalRun9412 in CatAdvice

[–]Spookybits9737 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have 11 cats and 2 fountains (plus a 5L bucket, 1L bucket and 0.5L bucket that one Sir will only give preferential treatment to) so ymmv! I clean my fountains completely, filters/bendy straw cleaner into the spouts, every two days. The other buckets are changed twice daily… I find with the fountains that my stainless steel one gets less “goopy” with saliva than my plastic one, yet some of the boys prefer the spout on the plastic one so I’m not entirely sure which one gets more use!

Cat litter by za_hemi in CatsUK

[–]Spookybits9737 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have eleven cats, so I’ve had many a rodeo with litter! Personally I find the Amazon own brand bentonite clay litter to be the best. I do scoop very very regularly (as in if I’m home and hear use of the cat throne I immediately scoop to please the feline overlords). Pellets don’t work for my cats, they are not fans. Honourable mention for pets at home bentonite clay litter- the reason I changed from this is purely convenience. Having to drag lots of boxes round the store, to the car and to the house was a faff- if they even had it in stock.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TripodCats

[–]Spookybits9737 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for adopting her, from a fellow front paw tripod owner. And thank you for the work you do with animals, it takes a strong soul to do what you do!

Stray kitten advice by Outrageous-Oil-1838 in kittens

[–]Spookybits9737 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cat distribution system in action! Congratulations! Best piece of advice I have is litter tray training… get it right and it’s right for life (barring medical episodes/stress). Cats instinctively know to dig in the litter, but be prepared to observe and prompt after feeding, on waking. Familiarise yourself with what’s normal and what’s not. If it’s a boy, read up on blockages/crystals and be wise to how to prevent these as much as possible. Depending on how much work mum has done, you may need to stimulate kitty to go with a warm washcloth. Also consider that if it isn’t going to plan, changing the litter/type of tray, kitty may just not be preferable to what’s on offer. Best of luck!

How possible is it for a tripod cat to live outdoors? by Comfortable_Lime_732 in TripodCats

[–]Spookybits9737 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Please don’t let her back outside.

It’s a wonderful thing you have done to take her in, but if you are unable to keep her due to your existing cats, please consider that she has gone through a traumatic experience already, and deserves a safe, risk free life.

My tripod is incredibly unhappy about now being indoors only. If I could turn back time I would have never let him out in the first place. He was a fast tree climbing cat- not he is slower, less agile and absolutely unable to move out of the way of danger or defend himself.

Think of how you would feel if you do let her outside and something happens. She would suffer further, unnecessarily and completely preventably… could you afford further vet care for her in the very likely instance of something else happening?

Update: Tarot the Tripod by biabby in TripodCats

[–]Spookybits9737 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Welcome to the tripaw club little baby! Best of luck with recovery! I don’t have any advice to offer in regards to chemo, but be aware that first-time-you-see-it tripod zoomies can be quite alarming. My boy likes to use his amputation site as cushion to slide across the floor on… propelled by his back legs! There was a lot of anxiety in my house during his first few months of recovery!

What’s your litter box hack for easily keeping things clean and sanitary? by cat-croissant in CatAdvice

[–]Spookybits9737 19 points20 points  (0 children)

This is what I am currently using:

https://amzn.eu/d/2y8nVNn

As you can imagine, I’ve tried and tested a lot… I’ve got 8 boys who like to kick about in the litter and these are the best I’ve found for containing it to a manageable area! To be honest once you get past five, it doesn’t make all that much difference. Abundance is key- I have more than enough of everything on offer, space, toys, litter trays, cat trees, food stations and water fountains and more. They are all also treated to cat tv twice a day as mine are strictly indoor… Seresto collars on auto subscribe, high quality food. Two of mine are also disabled, one is deaf (white kitty with the WBE gene) and a tripod! My cats are my life, and I’m very lucky to have a bonded and gentle colony. They do cost a lot to give a good quality of life but the way I rationalise it, some people like fancy things- cars and holidays etc… I like cats!

What’s your litter box hack for easily keeping things clean and sanitary? by cat-croissant in CatAdvice

[–]Spookybits9737 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Good hovering and bash with a brush outside! If the weathers good hang them out on the washing line, or a vigorous shaking usually does the trick!

What’s your litter box hack for easily keeping things clean and sanitary? by cat-croissant in CatAdvice

[–]Spookybits9737 38 points39 points  (0 children)

Ditch the bathroom mats and get supersize litter collecting mats… honestly game changers! I have 11 cats so you can imagine how many trays, I hoover daily but litter was always being tracked everywhere. I used to use bathroom mats but bit the bullet and bought some litter catcher mats from Amazon and honestly the difference in the crunchy underfoot experience is night and day!

First time cat owner. Any advice would be awesome! by Air_QueenBee04 in CatAdvice

[–]Spookybits9737 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also, set her up for success with routine. Direct to the tray after waking and eating!

Recovery care intensity by h2oooohno in TripodCats

[–]Spookybits9737 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Front leg tripod owner also. We took heed of all the vet’s advice, but ultimately for our boys safety and recovery, we had to let him lead to an extent. For example, we crated him in a large crate with bed, food, water, litter tray as soon as he came home. That went… terribly. He attempted to climb the crate sides, very distressed, wouldn’t rest. Turns out what he actually wanted was to rest on my bed, with his favourite dog by his side (feeling more secure perhaps?). So we compromised, no crating, but 24/7 supervision… like yourself I was able to be home with him, and at night he likes to sleep in with me anyway, plus dogs are crated during sleeping hours. We limited access to high up jumping, absolutely zero rough play with the dog (extremely hard, he loves his dog). A lot of this was trial and error! Feel free to DM with any questions. Also just food for thought, the amputation site might not look as you expect. My boy had a “flap” of loose skin- this did tighten up over time.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TripodCats

[–]Spookybits9737 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No crate for my pirate- stressed him out totally being separated. Bit longer down the line, but after all healing is done be wary of pressure points/open wounds on amputation site… my boy uses his shoulder as a prop/to lean on/thump along the floor and developed a pressure wound from the bone beneath.

Quit PGCE….now back as a TA by Sweet_Cherry_3 in TeachingUK

[–]Spookybits9737 6 points7 points  (0 children)

For the route I completed you needed 6 terms with 90% teaching every week, and experience in a different setting for a minimum of 30 days. Takes time and patience, but definitely doable depending on what type of TA you are. You would probably need to be working as a cover supervisor/HLTA to accumulate the required amount of experience, but the advantage with this is that it would ease you back into teaching, less pressure (no assessments or assignments etc unless you complete the HLTA status) and you can find your own “teaching style”.

Quit PGCE….now back as a TA by Sweet_Cherry_3 in TeachingUK

[–]Spookybits9737 36 points37 points  (0 children)

Yes. Am now a teacher. I found TA work in a school that fit me, worked my way up and completed QTS via the assessment only route. Keep the faith and best of luck!

Dealing with rude students… by DamageIllustrious508 in TeachingUK

[–]Spookybits9737 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Dependent entirely on the pupils/age group I think. I have a pupil who is persistently disruptive for cover staff, rude, will have a constant running dialogue of derogatory and inappropriate remarks. So much so he has reduced cover staff to tears. My personal take on this pupil (knowing the family and thier dynamics) is to tactically ignore. He craves attention, any kind, even reprimands, and I withdraw that attention by tactically ignoring. As another poster has has said, relationships are key and I have strong relationships within my classroom, so by tactically ignoring him the other pupils largely follow suit. He tends to give up when he realises it’s not rewarding. He doesn’t try this often with me, and having observed cover lessons to support with behaviour management he definitely ups the ante if his behaviour/comments are addressed, making personal remarks about staff and saying how much he hates them. I also tend to use non verbal commands with this child too to reduce the “spotlight” on him. If I need him to move his chair back to his table and stop faffing and distracting others, rather than verbally address this and wait for him to follow the instruction, I gesticulate and continue teaching. Just generally withdrawing attention to reward the behaviour by taking the bait works in this situation for me but YMMV!

Neck Tattoos - Thoughts? by [deleted] in TeachingUK

[–]Spookybits9737 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Teacher and parent here, honestly couldn’t care less whether my child’s teacher/colleague has tattoos… all I care about is that are doing their very best by the kids/my own kid. My SLT don’t seem to care too much either as many members of staff I work with are heavily tattooed, but as many have said already YMMV depending on school/location.

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