Cats

[DT]

kind of topical cross post

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1497778728776060928/

 

[lizkat]

Heart shaped snooze.

Amazing how a cat knows exactly what is a nap zone at first glance.

 

[Arkitect]

Amazing how a cat knows exactly what is a nap zone at first glance.

Yup. Cat comfort radar.

 

[Nycturne]

I think health problems are much more prevalent in pure-bred cats than "mutts". We have had 3 ragdolls and 2 had kidney issues. And they weren't even from the same breeder.

Oh, we learned that lesson years and years ago. But we also never were really looking to get a particular breed. The Maine Coon was from the era where the "shelter" just put all the animals in small kennels. So we didn't realize how big he was at first. And we knew of the heart risks early on thanks to the vet we had at the time, since yeah, purebred Maine Coons were notorious for heart problems. Breeders are supposedly getting better about trying to widen the gene pool, but I'd still rather adopt an adult cat from a shelter.

Our current has been full of surprises. We thought we were getting a short hair of a little over 7lbs, and wound up with a 13lb amazon of a cat with a thick double coat. She also has IBD and a respiratory condition that weren't known at the time of adoption but will need to be managed for the rest of her life. But her personality has made it a lot easier to get her on the right diet, and other than the inhaler, she's pretty easy to medicate. She's the sort of cat that will come when you call if she knows she's going to get groomed, or you'll take her outside, which helps to make things part of her grooming routine.

 

[Huntn]

Oh, we learned that lesson years and years ago. But we also never were really looking to get a particular breed. The Maine Coon was from the era where the "shelter" just put all the animals in small kennels. So we didn't realize how big he was at first. And we knew of the heart risks early on thanks to the vet we had at the time, since yeah, purebred Maine Coons were notorious for heart problems. Breeders are supposedly getting better about trying to widen the gene pool, but I'd still rather adopt an adult cat from a shelter.

Our current has been full of surprises. We thought we were getting a short hair of a little over 7lbs, and wound up with a 13lb amazon of a cat with a thick double coat. She also has IBD and a respiratory condition that weren't known at the time of adoption but will need to be managed for the rest of her life. But her personality has made it a lot easier to get her on the right diet, and other than the inhaler, she's pretty easy to medicate. She's the sort of cat that will come when you call if she knows she's going to get groomed, or you'll take her outside, which helps to make things part of her grooming routine.

As someone else said, I always wanted a Maine Coon breed. What is very interesting is that it’s described as a domestic breed. I assumed all domestic cats were brought here from other places,

Maine Coon - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Maine Coon is a large domesticated cat breed. It has a distinctive physical appearance and valuable hunting skills. It is one of the oldest natural breeds in North America. The breed originated in the U.S. state of Maine,[3] where it is the official state cat.

No records of the Maine Coon's exact origins and date of introduction to the United States exist, so several competing hypotheses have been suggested, the most credible suggestion being that it is closely related to the Norwegian Forest cat and the Siberian.

 

[Arkitect]

No records of the Maine Coon's exact origins and date of introduction to the United States exist, so several competing hypotheses have been suggested, the most credible suggestion being that it is closely related to the Norwegian Forest cat and the Siberian.

I think they landed in Americas with Leif Erikson! Liked what they saw and stayed.

In fact "Vikings" had a lot to do with the spread of cats.
Link

 

[Arkitect]

I am at serious risk of becoming the TalkedAbout cat lady... But wow. How lovely are they?

 

[Herdfan]

Serval????

 

[Arkitect]

Serval????

Caracal. (I think).

 

[Herdfan]

Caracal. (I think).

I think you are right.

I want a big cat like a Serval or Savannah. Wife doesn't want a pet that has to eat raw meat. LOL

 

[Arkitect]

I think you are right.

I want a big cat like a Serval or Savannah. Wife doesn't want a pet that has to eat raw meat. LOL

That's a tough one.
I think they are incredible animals… not sold on the idea of having one as a pet.

Just mind you feed it lots of meat. Not good if it decides to go snacking on the local Chihuahua population.

Edit: Should we get a new pet — kitten or puppy, we're definitely going the BARF route.
If we adopt an older cat, we'll probably have to stick with what they are used to.

 

[Huntn]

I think you are right.

I want a big cat like a Serval or Savannah. Wife doesn't want a pet that has to eat raw meat. LOL

Does it have to eat raw meat?

 

[Arkitect]

Does it have to eat raw meat?

I would think so.
These are obligate carnivores after all. And in the wild their food would be both raw, and alive (at least for a while).

Now, feeding them LIVE meat I would have a problem with!

 

[Renzatic]

Now, feeding them LIVE meat I would have a problem with!

All you'd have to do is bring in a cow, then let nature take its course.

 

[Herdfan]

Does it have to eat raw meat?

Yes. True Servals and F1 Savannah's have to eat raw meat.

 

[Huntn]

I would think so.
These are obligate carnivores after all. And in the wild their food would be both raw, and alive (at least for a while).

Now, feeding them LIVE meat I would have a problem with!

Yes. True Servals and F1 Savannah's have to eat raw meat.

So I’ll assume that regular cat food, they’d either turn their nose up at it or it would not sustain them.

 

[Herdfan]

So I’ll assume that regular cat food, they’d either turn their nose up at it or it would not sustain them.

They will eat anything. They need the protein from raw meat. Apparently regular cat food doesn't have enough, yet all of our ragdolls either ended up on or are currently on low protein food for their kidneys.

 

[Yoused]

Not good if it decides to go snacking on the local Chihuahua population.

Though, some of the annoying dogs in my neighborhood ...

 

[Arkitect]

Though, some of the annoying dogs in my neighborhood ...

I must admit to a dream of owning one of these biggish cats — a nice Caracul or Serval — something with a nice bit of tail swishing swagger and ambling down to town for a coffee on a Sunday morning.
The reactions from the folks with their Golden Labradors and the Hipsters with their French bulldogs would be priceless.

 

[Arkitect]

They will eat anything. They need the protein from raw meat. Apparently regular cat food doesn't have enough, yet all of our ragdolls either ended up on or are currently on low protein food for their kidneys.

Yes, pet food is a horror show.
After our first cat died of stomach cancer we started paying a lot more attention to what we were feeding our remaining cat.
First thing was make it meat based — she especially enjoyed liver, but raw chicken was a staple — with a side of gluten free kibbles.

It made a huge difference. She was more perky, alive, talkative — just a whole lot more fun. And her seizures stopped.