/b/ - Random

Volunteered with wildlife and fell in love with a baby mink once. To this day I have never met a more charming, charismatic animal, nor one who smelled so good. He smelled like hot iron and ozone.

Saw this lil dude in a pets hope the other day. He was born with wonky ears and I found them oddly endearing.

I once volunteered at a cat shelter and met this glorious orange persian. The shelter was designed for elderly and special needs cats so she was an old kitty. I sat by her hiding spot everytime I was there and would pet her when she came out because her previous owner poorly socialized her. The shelter owners were happy I was working with her because they had a hard time with it. Because she was old, she eventually passed but I'm glad I got to show her what being loved by a human was like. The shelter is no kill and many of the animals end up living there for the rest of their lives because a lot of people don't like adopting special needs or old animals. It's free run so no cages unless medically necessary which I love. I still visit the place and help out while I'm there and it's always nice and clean. I'm always stoked to hear about a cat getting adopted because elderly and special needs babies need love too.

I live in a student dorm in Japan and with the staff of the dorm we're collecting donations to neuter three or more stray cats who often come and get fed by residents.
It's been going well, the local cat lovers association is helping out as well, but today one guy put a poster under ours to say neutering cats was wrong and interfering with nature and their right to reproduce and survive.
It's really frustrating, and it's crazy how one bad comment feels so much heavier than a hundred people putting some coins in the box.
I really want to try to convince him, especially since he's a resident too, so I left a note asking him to contact me… So many stray cats are killed every year, just because the ones here are liked and fed it doesn't mean they're not going to get taken away and killed some day.
I'll try to find some infographics or articles I can print to explain better the reasons for doing this. I was a bit stupid and rushed into this thing without much of a plan… I don't really regret it but I feel like I could do way better.

>>60
I think you need to explain that cats, even feral ones on the streets are still a domesticated breed and depend on us to make sure there is no overpopulation.

Plus, while it's not as common in Japan (idk if he's Japanese or not), an overpopulation of strays is detrimental to them because food and support becomes scarce, too many means not enough money to help them if something happens.

I volunteer at a cat rescue. There is a cat who can't be rehomed because he is epileptic. We have a little harness and lead so volunteers can take him for a wander (he never goes out otherwise because… epilepsy..). I always do. He likes to chase frogs and climb trees, although he never gets very far up the tree (maybe like two ft?) and he just clings to it and meows at me for help. In the summer we sat on a bench and he sunbathed while I made daisychains. It's simple, cute things like this that make life nice sometimes.

>>93
That is so pure. I love u

I volunteer at a pigeonry for urban pigeons. Fun fact: those are domesticated, too, like stray cats. They come from racing pigeons, wedding doves and private households / pigeonries. This pigeonry is funded by the town and a place where eggs are swapped to control the population, the dirt gets collected instead of landing on buildings and the birds get fed and fresh water.
I'd really love to adopt pets and also have like two or three pidgies in the future

I was browsing an illustrator's tumblr and he frequently reblogs videos of animals making noises, here is the entire collection
https://sirartwork.tumblr.com/tagged/noises
the first video of the shiba purring and yipping in its sleep might be my favorite

>>96
Holy shit, is this photoshopped?

>>102
It is :(

A mighty fine day to you

My dog and cat got into a fight, the dog mistook her for one of the neighbor cats (always slinking into or yard) and fucking tossed poor kitty to the ground.

Poor kitty had a bloody nose and swollen eye but thankfully she is getting better.

>>94
Hehehe thanks. Here is a photo of the charming man himself just for you! :-*

My cat is about 13 years old and has, out of nowhere, gone from being a lazy chill motherfucker to wanting to play ALL THE TIME, but only with one toy. It actually broke a while back, but she will ignore all other toys in favour of playing with the broken string part of this bright green butterfly bullshit teaser.

I love her.

>>126
i have a 12 year old cat who is ridiculously energetic, he's small and spry and loves to gallop around the house. whenever i try to engage my lazy 2 yr old cat, the older one jumps in and decides it is HIS playtime, and he can leap around after a toy all night. i love older animals!

My old lady neighbor's super friendly but off-leash dog (in the middle of the city with strict leash laws) ran over to mine today when we came out the door to go running, and after a few seconds of sniffing, a scuffle instantly broke out, with her (smaller) dog flipped upside down. I pulled my dog away immediately and apologized. We went on our little jog and when I come back, my neighbor tells me that there's a puncture wound on her dog. I let her know when the last rabies shot was. She took her to the vet and I had to get to work.

She had left a message on my phone asking to pay for the bill, which has ended up around 100$. My boyfriend and I also printed out and highlighted our local leash laws and some articles that discuss dog behavior when one is on-leash and one is not, and basically let her know that she was in the wrong, which was hard to do, especially because I had been somewhat close with her over a year ago. We still offered to pay the bill for this, but she acted pretty disrespectful about it, when we pointed out that no, in fact the unenclosed area outside of the 8 shared apartments is not her property nor is it property that is enclosed (city laws specify the enclosed part.) I think she was so upset because aside from it all, it now means she can't really have her dog off-leash while she is out watering her plants and shit, but just get a tether. It sucks, but for her dog's safety (and mine's! She already has anxiety because she was a stray for months as a pup, she was just scared protecting me when a rando dog ran up to our house and she can't do much on a leash so she attacked.) We hear her calling for the dog on a daily basis, and she does come back when she calls as far as I know, but none of this would have happened if she just did what literally every other dog owner in this neighborhood does: keep your dog enclosed or on a leash. Period!

Today something happened.
So, my mom went out to our yard to check on my cat and he was about to eat a bird that was on the rain tubes (not sure what the name is in english, sorry!), he entered the cat home but didn't see the bird anymore.
I woke up and she told me the story so i went to check and there he was. He was very scared but i put my hand out and he climbed onto it.
I checked for possible damage done by my cat and only found a slight scratch on the wing, which might've been caused by the fall from his nest. I cleaned him up with some gauze and water. Then i proceeded to give him some water to refresh himself. He went from not moving and not talking to being a super loud boy (or girl). Also he was super attached to me, he wouldn't leave my hand/arm lmao.
I am pretty sure the nest is on my roof, so i left him in an open visible place on our yard so the mother would come and get him, since he was not able to call for her, it's been around 6 hours and i am pretty sure she is looking for him and approached him occasionally (but maybe it was another bird, since the colors and species don't match), but then she just left.
Since it's around 37ºC where i live, i decided to enter him inside my home.
I've done some research and fed him a paste of water and maria cookies (is this adequate, or has the internet lied to me, gosh i hope not) and some fresh water, giving him droplet by droplet by a syringe. I plan to do this every hour. (is this too much/too little?).
Then i've read that putting them in a cage with an open door was okay and would keep them safe, so i got one of my bird cages, filled a sock with cotton and put him there, i'm pretty sure he has now fallen asleep.
I am pretty sure it's a female sparrow, but not completely.
What should i do about him, leave him outside so the mother finds him (it's so hot i'm really afraid he might get a heatstroke, but also i don't wanna steal a baby from his mother if she will get him eventually) or should i take care of him until he is able to fly on his own?

Is the open cage with a nest/sock a good idea or should i left him on the ground? (i am afraid he might get hurt or try to go up into the water tubes again and die :( )
I will try to get him on open field as soon as the heat settles a little, so maybe there'll be some luck and the mother will come.

What food is okay for baby sparrows? Is the paste i said a good idea?

Any general tips on what to do if the mother did not come to take him back to the nest?

Pic related: the birb.

>>820
No advice to give but that's qt, ugh my heart

>>820
TAKE.IT.TO.THE.VET.
Dont wait for an answer , the little bby needs attention asap. Maybe it has a little bone broken or something, go go go

>>820

Take him to a vet and if you want to keep, ask them what you should feed it. When I raised a starling and a robin, we fed it shredded up wet cat food and seeds and they both grew up to be really old. You can try cat food or those feeder worms/bugs you get at a pet store. Some places sell food geared towards baby birds but I'm not sure where you live so I've no idea if that's a thing in your country.

From the sound of it, his mom may not come back. I can't really say but I think you did ok by taking him inside where no animals could get to him.

Seriously, vet first like the anon above me said. If you can't keep him the vet might find someone or where he can go. They may even have some food you can take home and give him should you decide to raise him yourself. Good luck and I hope the little fella is ok.

>>820
I'd recommend taking it to an avian vet, so it can be checked for health issues and released before permanent damage/bonding with you.

>>Story warning:

I found an injured baby pigeon (look similar to adults) on the street around 6 years ago. It's parents had been killed (someone had come by and killed tons of the pigeons so there were many dead bodies :() and it was sweltering heat. Someone had tried to fix one of its legs, and I took it home. Apparently the diy fix caused its (his) injured leg to heal incorrectly, making it difficult for him to balance on narrow objects. By the time I got him to the vet (had to visit a specialist, called an avian vet), they said he would need a surgery that breaks and realigns his leg if he wanted to balance on narrow objects. It would cost $3000+ USD, and I didn't want him to suffer more trauma. He also had bonded to me within a couple weeks.

He was an amazing pet, and would sleep on my pillow next to my head. He required a lot of special care though, including speciality pigeon feed, a clean cage everyday, pigeon diapers, a pigeon leash for taking outside for walks, toys, bathing equipment etc.

Unfortunately, after puberty (it's pretty difficult to spay/neuter birds) he became very angry. I'm not sure about other species of birds, but this is a common issue in wild pigeons (it's a virus I believe that causes this). He'd attack my friends/boyfriend and throw temper tantrums if I made him sleep in his cage. Of course I still loved him, but when I moved abroad I had to re-home him. I found an awesome woman whose entire family raised birds (huge bird people!) and he ended up finding a mate. But, since he was a wild bird rather than domesticated he would start fights with the woman's docile pigeons/doves. The woman eventually had to get rid of all of the birds, and after moving back home I took my pigeon back. He was pretty furious, and I felt terrible having him live in my shitty environment versus a household built for birds (he had his own house, friends, and a mate).

Anyway, I decided to release him into the wild. I spent weeks preparing him. He managed to live safely and happily outside for a couple months. I would visit him often, but he did NOT want to go home with me, he loved being in the wild. Then one day I came to visit him as he was eaten by a hawk. He had learned to survive with his crooked leg, but never learned to avoid predators. Even though I will always love him and I know he is in pigeon heaven, there are a lot of difficulties with bird keeping if you aren't prepared for it…especially with wild birds…and they bond quickly when they are young.

>>TL;DR: Baby birds bond very quickly and need to be rehabilitated early on in order to learn survival skills. I'd ask an avian vet the best options in this case, since I only know about pigeons. Most vets don't know much about birds, unless they are specialized. If you decide to keep the bird as a pet, remember that they are a LOT more work than cats and dogs and you might want to buy it other small birds (get a LARGE cage) so it can socialize, since birds are VERY social creatures.

>>sorry for the story

>>photo isn't my pigeon, but looks similar, and also wears clothing

>>842
BTW, wanted to add to this: Thanks for saving the bird! That's awesome of you, and it's great you are making sure you are making the correct choices for it's life.

>>813
>keep your dog enclosed or on a leash. Period!
I love dogs but hate that this is even up for debate. They always argue that their dog never strays or that no one was around or that they were keeping a close eye on their dog. Obviously those things aren't true if you end up arguing about it with someone after an altercation involving your dog! Even if your dog is very well trained it just makes it easier for people involved on all levels. There is no reason not to except laziness and selfishness, the trend where people don't use leashes in order to strengthen their recall is bullshit. I live in a major city, that's no place to take such a risk, but it's gotten so popular in the last few years.

>>853
In my hometown people rarely walk their dogs on leads (most of the town is a pedestrian zone, with the occasional bicycle) and they really are much better behaved than my dog who is always on a lead because we live in a big city. They also don't interact with other dogs much, not even sniffing. I don't know how they do it but everyone I've talked to says they're taught from a very young age and socialised with other people and dogs to a degree where they don't find other people and their pets interesting anymore. So it's not laziness, it involves a lot of work and dedication, but it's not doable in most bigger cities.

I have a happy story about my elderly cat to share you with all. I just looked at her and remembered it and it filled me up with so much joy and hope for life and I just need to share it.

>come home frome uni for spring break
>left her in the care of my family because no pets allowed in dorms plus she's old so travelling far doesn't sit well with her
>i pull her out from under my bed cause it's not unusual for her to be mad and hide for a little bit when i come visit
>all the white sections of her fir are a dirty yellow and she smells funny. horrifyingly skinny too
>this is weird cause i was just in a video chat with family a couple days ago and she was healthy and active. none of my family understands what's going on either cause it just happened the day before I came home
>i feel like something isn't right so we rush her to the emergency vet
>her body is trying to shut down because she has thyroid disease and it's out of control like crazy, she's dehydrated and not eating
>e.r vet basically says "well you can leave her with us so we can observe her ans she might get better or you can take her home and she'll likely die. or you can put her to sleep
>i become a sobbing idiot so my dad had to tell her we'd be taking her home to give her the care she needs
>they stabilize her and give us meds and are like "well don't be surprised if she dies anon lol"
>we go home and I stay up several nights to tend to her and force feed fluids and food into her with my mom
>clean her with damp cloth
>she begins regaining strength and the regular vet we visit said we made the right decision taking her home at her check up
>they give us more meds and a shot to help of Valium(it can increase the appetite in cats briefly for some reason) and she becomes the cat she use to be
>i leave for uni again and my mom continues to take care of her
>when i return she's gained all her weight back and is healthy and active again

I think the e.r. vet just wanted a hefty wad of cash for hospital costs. We've brought back cats from the brink of death before but holy shit is it terrifying with an older cat. If home care is an option and you know how to put in the time and patience it feels so good. When she first got sick it took a lot of lost sleep and sitting with her to keep her cozy + monitored but I learned so much plus I feel like she gives me more reason to help other cats.

>>862
That's not the lack of leash, that is them putting more effort into training and socializing their dog and doing so form a young age (which isn't always possible with rescues). There are some dogs that are legitimately good enough to be off leash that live in my city (one in particular I see all the time because his owner takes him to the park near my house everyday) but I still don't think they should be off leash, for the comfort of the people around them and for the dogs safety. It's not as bad if you're not living in a city imo, but if it's a moderately populated area I still find it rude. It doesn't take that much effort at all to use a leash, and your dog can still be well behaved with good recall and be leash trained, those are two separate skills to teach a dog, one skill doesn't just replace the other.

>>950
my old Armenian neighbor tried to train his new German Shepard-mix/mutt to go off leash and the wily dog took up some issue with my family's dog stalked us on our walk for blocks running around in the street and rushing up to us barking and growling then running away.

It was super intimidating and I'm not a big pet person and only like the dog my family has because he lives here and I've gotten used to him. That dumb mutt and his asshole
owner are lucky our neighborhood isn't on any busy streets. If I was a more vindictive person I would have walked to a busy street to teach that stupid owner a lesson.

Hey everyone! Just wanted to give out a cat PSA.
If you are feeding your cat dry food, please please please look into switching to wet food. Dry food is actually very bad for your cat for a multitude of reasons. A quick rundown would be
-not enough water content, even if you feel your cat drinks plenty of water. Water helps them pass urine and stool so by adding more water to their diet they are less susceptible to UTI, kidney diseases, etc
-cats are obligate carnivores. Dry foods contain way too many carbs their body cannot process and not enough protein to keep them healthy
-leads to cat obesity
-dry food is often contaminated with molds, insects, and/or insect eggs

If you'd like to read more about this please check out http://catinfo.org/ . Another good resource is http://catfooddb.com/

The cheapest most decent wet food I've been able to find is Fancy Feast but ONLY the "classics" variety (or "pates" if you live in Canada). Any wet foods with "gravies" are a bit higher in carbs so I'd stray away from those
Other decent wet food brands
-Natures Variety
-Wild Calling
-Weruva
-Wellness

Also heads up that Blue Buffalo isnt that great for your pets, its all a marketing scheme. Please do your research always and find what is truly the best for your animals

>>1073
Thanks for the advice.
I rescued a poor persion who never saw wet food in her life. She fucking loved it when i introduced it to her. She had a good year in happiness and joy.
Also i dont believe in single cats. The persian was 13years alone without any cat. Then she met my cat and after all the hate and fightings were over they were ok with each other. Even played together and cuddled one or two times. Her health issues got way better, and she behaved like a cat in the end. Was a soulless plushie before.

>>1074
I always feel so bad for persians. People dont realize how much work their coat can need and I've seen quite a few dumped off at shelters from people not being able to manage. Im so happy to hear though that you took care of her < 3 Im sure she was much happier

Also senior cats are best cats imo

>>1076
>>1076
Unfortunaly i know so many cats with matted fur. Someone even shaved his persian (1cm long hair after that) every once in a while. Saying the cat feels better this way.
A friend had to shave her maine coone because of bad grooming and the cat felt so awkward, she wouldnt sit down, if we didnt lay towels everywhere. After that i helped her brushing the fur, the cat always fights because she didnt learn it when she was a kitten?

Pic related

>>1076
I got a pet quality persian cause someone dumped when they found out they couldn't sell her for $$$$ cause she didn't have that super smooshy face you see in a lot of show persians. She looked like some dirty, stinky, matted up baby wuen we brought her home from the shelter and now she's all longhaired and glorious after getting the proper care and grooming.

>>1073
Not this anon but as someone who works with lots of ferals and housecats I agree wirh them 100%. The wet food plus their water intake is like cleansing their bladders and is especially good for older cats with kidney disease. One of my many cats is an elderly cat with kidney disease and she's prone to UTIs when stressed out and the wet food really helps ward the infections away.

On another note, one of my ferals got really sick recently. My mom and I have been treating her for the infection(please don't do this yourself, we've been trained to do this) and she's starting to get better. The vet in our area that specializes in ferals is closed until Wednesday so we have just enough antibiotics to get by until then. Once it reopens, I want to get her looked at for second opinions(like does she need surgery to get anything drained and whatnot) and to double check her recovery is going smoothly plus get more meds if needed. She was really close to biting the dust a couple days but pulled through and is back to normal. It makes me feel like I can breathe again cause I thought she wasn't going to make it since the feral vet is closed rn.

My rat is so cute aaaahhhh

>>1083
Oh my god, it really is. I'm not huge into rats, but this picture is so cute.

>>1083
Tfw want a rat but can't have one because of all the cats I have plus I'd be heartbroken that they don't live that long. I have a bird instead and the cats leave him alone but I don't want to push my luck. Your rat is cute anon! I've seen pet rats in person at a pet store I go to get bird and cat supplies and they're super soft when you pet them. What's he eating/drinking in that pic?

>>1088
>>1093
A lot of people have rats and dogs and cats and they get along but I'd always separate them. It only takes one second of animal instinct…

He's eating a nutritional paste because he's a senior and smaller than his fatty cagemates. I love him so much

>>1094
One more because I love him. Fight me (polite sage anyways)

>>1094
I know this is a week old but gosh darn your rat is cute.

And talking about rats, dogs, and cats reminded me of this article
https://www.thedodo.com/dog-cat-rat-best-friends-2349812586.html

Just a dumb website I follow but they have some cute stuff

I want a big fluffy dog more than anything in the world.

>>820

It's too late for this guy, but for the love of god, please stop kidnapping perfectly fine baby birds people. If you find a baby bird on the ground during spring/summer and its eyes are open, its got feathers, and if you can't find the nest nearby, it's a fledgling. It has purposefully left the nest, and it's being taken care of by its parents. Yes, even if it can't fly very well or at all, it's perfectly normal and does not need help. The best thing you can do is keep your pets indoors and go away so it doesn't get stressed and its parents won't hesitate when they return with food.

Also, if your cat does get ahold of a bird and punctures it's skin, sorry, but you just killed a bird. The bacteria in cats mouths and on the claws is extremely toxic to birds, and even if they get treatment survival is not likely. If you really want to help birds, make your cat an indoor one.

Does any of you have a dog allergy? I got a new puppy two weeks ago, and I never had any reaction against her (I had a reaction against a cat 2 years ago so I know what "it" feels like). Anyway two days ago I woke up with hives all over my body so I had to go to the doc to get some antibiotics. I am 99% sure it isnt dog-related, my two biggest possibilities is : 1) something i ate the day before , or 2) stress (ive been under a lot of stress lately). But theres still that %1….but I wouldnt react 2 weeks after having the dog, would I?? I hope not :(

>>2234 I'm allergic but still have them.

Basically different breeds have different levels of dander they shed, which is why some are more likely to make allergic people suffer more.

If your sinuses are playing up too it's probably an allergy, but sometimes I get a similar skin rash when it's too hot? So it may be that. Has it been hot lately?

Someome dumped a kitten on my yard or he got out and got lost. He looks like he's maybe 4 or 5 months and he had come running and crying when my mom came outside during the morning like he was horrified of something. We have him in the house now and he's such a soft boy. Purrs when you rub his belly. We're gonna take him in to get scanned for a microchip if no one comes looking for him. He's bonded with some other kittens I've been fostering so he doesn't feel all alone and scared in a new house. If no one claims him and he's chipless, he'll go up for adoption along with the other kittens so that way we have room to foster in the future.

>>2235
Yeah I got a poodle just to be on the safe side.
No sinuses reaction, no sniffling, no coughing nor watering eyes (I got all of these as soon as I got the cat). The puppy has slept on my chest many many times and I havent even gotten a rash. Thats why this hives outbreak has me thinking wtf is going on?

Also def not weather related, I live in a city that is hot 365 days of the year so Im used to it.

>>2225
My cat is indoors only. I just happen to have a closed off garden which he cannot leave from. I rarely get birds because my garden has two levels and my cat is only allowed on the first which is mostly closed off by a ceiling. So maybe don't assume stuff.
The mother ended up coming for the bird because i left him in the upper garden where he was actually visible. I did not kidnap it. I just cleaned it up and fed him so he wouldn't die behind a rain drainer. Also, I said it had 0 wounds from my cat since he wasnt able to reach him. He only had a small scratch from falling. So no cat infection possible.
I just cleaned it up so his wings weren't stuck in it's body and feed it until the mother took him back. So again, i dont know what kidnapping you are talking about.

The bird is alive and fine, he was on the nest with his mother until recently when they left because the place wasnt viable anymore.

I believe that what you are saying is true and baby birds should be left alone,but i aldo believe depends on the circumstances. This bird would most likely have died if i did not move it.

Has anyone here worked/volunteered with wildlife rehabilitation at all? I really love animals and I'd love to learn actual useful skills for nursing wildlife back to health and correcting misinformation and misconceptions about caring for wild animals. This community seems very pro-animal welfare and it's really inspiring me to make changes in my life and think about ways to meaningfully help animals.
I'd like to start by picking up the slack with my grandma's dogs. From what little I know, she's doing everything wrong with them and neglecting them big time. Does anyone know of any resources on proper dog care I could show her to help her realize she's doing wrong by her dogs in a massive way? The one friend she sort of halfheartedly looks to for guidance buys into Cesar Milan shit and violently pokes and prods our tiny puppy mill rescue and feeds them fucking potato chips because she's too lazy to get up and get actual dog treats and it infuriates me. I know they need exercise they aren't getting and their feeding schedules need to be regular to help with their food aggression. I never learned how to properly care for domestic animals growing up, so if there are resources that are kind of spoonfeed-y yet thorough that would be perfect for me. I'm so sick and tired of watching all their behavioural problems get them yelled at and knowing their owner is doing so wrong by them, yet not having enough information to show her how selfish and neglectful she's being.
Sorry for long rant, I didn't realize how much this bothered me. I don't understand how people can be selfish and cruel enough to subject sentient creatures to lives of needless anxiety and neglect just because they don't realize or don't care that raising and keeping animals requires WORK, not just in the beginning or once in a while but consistently. These poor dogs are behavioural disasters most people don't want to even be around and it's not even their fault.

>>2633
Dogs are very loving and willing to please their owners. They respond best to praise. If they figure out that you like something, they'll keep it up for attention. Cesar Milan is a fake and there are plenty of videos and testimonies online to prove it, you could show the friend those if you think it would help. There are "puppy training" classes that my local shelter puts on all the time and it would be great if you could attend one of those with the dogs. It's also a great oppurtunity to socialise them with other dogs and people if they're aggressive. The only thing is that you'll have to force your grandmother to go along with you. Everyone has to do the same thing or else the dogs will know that they get away with certain things around certain people.

My family do the same thing where they feed my dog chocolate, biscuits, crisps, cheese…basically anything that's on their plate. I just have to keep reinforcing that you can't feed them what's on your plate. I show them pic related when I fucking catch them doing it (be warned, it's an absolutely disgusting picture but it's the reality of feeding dogs things they can't digest). I shove it in their face and remind them how sick it makes dogs to feed them crap. When they go home, my dog generally throws up or has the runs so the next day I'll describe that in great detail and then remind them that it was because they fed him a cube of cheese and that he physically doesn't have the same stomach as us to digest it.

They're too lazy to learn off what fruit/veg the dog is allowed to eat so even though it's unhealthy, I just keep repeating "just meat, just meat, just meat" to them when they ask what he can eat. They'll still try to feed him things like corned beef, sausage rolls, things that have breadcrumbs, meat that was marinated…some people legit don't give a shit about animals or are too stupid to own pets but there is nothing stopping them from buying them thanks to careless, money-hungry breeders. I feed him what I know he can eat when I'm around and I try to keep it as plain as possible (chicken and rice, for example) so his poor stomach has a chance or recover.

I feel your pain with regards to your grandmother and I hope you're able to help those dogs. Start with puppy training classes and maybe pinning a menu of things they can eat to her fridge. That's a huge start.

I moved into a new apartment 2 months ago, and after sprinkling out seed and the occasional crumbled oatcake on my bedroom windowsill every morning for 4 weeks, look who've managed to attract!

They've been visiting for 2 weeks now, but for the last 4 days I've been waking up to the sound of them fluttering down to the sill, and then had them stand there and watch me through the window, waiting for me to get up and sprinkle the day's seed. The other day I'd forgotten to put out some seed and was in the kitchen washing dishes, when the male flew down onto the window in front of me, only 1 foot away from being able to touch him. He began gesturing and bobbing his head wildly in the direction of the bedroom window, and it took me a while to realise that I'd forgotten to sprinkle seed that morning, and he'd flew down to get my attention.

>>2855
Also managed to attract this handsome peeping tom.

omg

>>2855
>>2857
>>2858
>>2860

Cuuuuuuuute anon! Thanks for feeding the little pidgies. I like the peeping tom pic _

I want to show y'all my hamster because I see a lack of hamsters in this thread.

there were two young cats on the street last week and i went up to them to check if they were okay. an orange long haired tabby who was affectionate and friendly and a little black one who was more timid, but they were laying together by the road. i'm not sure if they belonged to anybody, they looked well fed enough but definitely had fleas, and they were in a residential area, basically right outside a house… there arent actually that many stray cats here, most belong in some form to someone…i dunno, i didn't end up taking them as i can't look after them and there are no no-kill shelters in my area and sooo many cats go unadopted…

but i cant help but worry i made the wrong choice :( feels bad

>>2863
your hammie is such a cute ball of fluff!!

>>4401
god situations like that are always so difficult because you can't adopt all the cats yet still want ti help but i think you made the right decision anon! if they aren't anyone's, cats are quite hardy and will probably get by versus in a non no kill shelter it's probable death.

our neighbour's kitty is so tiny but i have no idea whether it's because of age or frame. they have a 1st floor flat by a dead end of a street and they often keep their window open so the kitty can walk around. meeting it always makes my day becayse i miss my black kitty back home so terribly! uni better be worth it lol

So, a little info, my male cat is neutered since very young and is an strictly house cat (never leaves the house, unless for vet appointments), he never comes in contact with other cats, he eats very healthy food, i play with him a lot, he has around 2 years going 3.

This past year he has been, for a lack of a better wording, humping everything. If i put my arm out he will jump on it, bite it, and try to hump it and if i take it out he will meow loudly. If i take out one of his toys to play (a long snake) he will bite the neck and start humping it.
Whenever he displays this behavior i will just stop it, like if he's humping my arm, i'll leave to show him i don't want him to do this.
I'm assuming he's just going through "puberty". But, how normal is this for a neutered/sterilized cat?
I don't know if it's weird enough to tell the vet about it or if it's just normal for them to still be like this even after they are not fertile, because i had another cat before this one and he never did this so idk.

>>11643

I have several male cats and they're all neutered. One still humps stuff though. He's tried humping and unplugged toaster and will hump small luggage bags if you aren't looking. Sometimes male cats still have a trace of all those hormones that make them want to hump stuff left in their body, even after surgery. Other times it's cause they're stressed or there's been big changes bothering them. It could also be he wants more attention or needs more play time. It could be a number of things. One of my cats(not the toaster humper one, rip toaster), sprayed for awhile after he was neutered. It's not unheard of for cats to hump and spray even after surgery. You should still get them spayed/neutered of course because it greatly reduces these behaviors and there's less unwanted kittens around. Does he do a lot of yowling and spraying too/or is it just humping?

>>11644
God dammit, now I can't get the image of your cat toasting his dick out of my mind.

>>11643
Definitely what >>11644 said. Sometimes they'll act that way when another cat is in the area as well. Even a neighbor's cat can trigger this behavior if they're within a close range. Definitely don't feel afraid to talk to your vet about it if you feel like it's a little out of hand, though.
If you feel like this behavior could possibly be from stress, I recommend looking into a cat pheromone product like Feliway. The product has a smell similar to a cat's mother and it's really soothing and can calm kitty stress and aggression. It might help with the humping, too.

>>11644
Nope, he only humps my arm and the snake/toys occasionally, doesn't do anything else thankfully. He's a pretty chill cat overall and he gets hours upon hours of playtime and attention since i live with my family, so he's never truly alone, we also haven't had any stressful changes recently that i can remember.
I think it might be the leftover hormones like you said.

>>11650
Huh, i didn't know it could affect him if even if the cats are not at a really close distance. We have a lot of neighborhood cats and stray cats that walk around the surrounding areas of my house, so maybe they are affecting him.
I've heard of Feliway! But i'll maybe wait it out until the "cat month" like they say on my country (basically when cats are extra hormonal) passes to see if his behavior calms down naturally, but thank you for the suggestion!

>>11651
Ok I don't disagree that men are worthless, but projecting toxic masculinity onto animals is weird. Animals have reproductive cycles that do not shape their personalities (compared to the false assumption that male humans are boorish and gross because of some innate sexual drive).

>>11643
>>11652
Sometimes neutering isn't entirely successful, especially if it is done on a kitten, it's better to wait until male cats are full sized. Basically part of the testicle can be left behind, and although they can't produce sperm they still produce male hormones resulting in the classic male behavioural issues. If you're taking him to the vets anyway ask them to do a testosterone level check, it's something you want to rule out because none of the other fixes will work if he's had a botched neutering surgery.

I've been thinking of getting another cat, as I had to put my childhood cat down a few months ago and been feeling like getting another pet.
But I feel like its either too much of a commitment or I'm not ready yet.
Is there ever a right time to getting another pet after losing one?

>>11765
There is no real time frame. Some people wait several years and others never get another pet again. I know when one of my childhood cats died, my mom waited a few months before adopting anymore cause she wanted to be sure she wan't replacing him since that was her baby. You probably hear it a lot but the best answer is "when you're ready". I felt really bad when I was getting a new kitten after one I'd been trying to help died but now I don't feel as bad about it cause I love the new fella for being himself instead of just a replacement. Some people say another pet will help you heal from the grief of losing the last one(reasons like honoring their memory, saving another life, making a new friend, etc etc).

If time commitement is an issue, try thinking about the pros and cons of a cat depending on its age. Kittens(in my experience) take more time because they're still growing and learning more than an adult cat and require more energy. A senior cat is older and normally less energetic but you will get less time with them since they're older. Things also depend on your lifestyle and whatnot. Try to talking to people with lots of cat experience or research around online about what type of committment certain cats might have. Or you can ask in this thread too, I'm sure there are other anons, myself included, that are willing to help.

As for being ready, you just kind of know. Even when you know, you may experience doubt at first cause you don't want to feel like you're just replacing your old friend. Sometimes you just know when you feel drawn to a particular animal for whatever reason. It can be different for everyone. Take some time to think about why you'd like another cat and go from there.

>>11765
doesn't really matter for how long you wait, it will be hard anyway, since you've been with your cat for years
but if you feel confident enough, maybe you should try? honestly, you can never know how you'll respond. i was so angry at my new cat for the first days (even weeks i think, he was sweet and nice to everyone, but i just couldn't bring myself to like him), but it passed eventually and we're friends now

Look at this super cute octopus, especially at the 1 minute 30 sec mark!

Hi !
I'm here to help fighting climate change ! I'm a seal hero !

My partner and I own our own house and over the past couple years we have more or less transformed it into some kind of small scale animal rescue. Since she works at an exotic pet shop a lot of animals will come in with various issues or a really neglectful owner will bring a pet in that they don't want to deal with anymore. When that happens the store can't really keep them anywhere or sell them which means if we don't take these little guys they pretty much would just have to get thrown out or whatever which would be really sad.

Pic related is a bearded dragon we brought home about a year and a half ago. When they came to us we suspected they had a bone disease since they looked really malnourished and could barely walk. After a couple months of proper care and nutrition turns out he didn't have a bone disease at all and now he can climb up pretty much anything he wants and he's doing really well. Nowadays when it's really warm out we'll leave the front of his tank open so he can climb in and out and just explore the house and have fun.

>>118578
I hope that thing on its head doesn't do any damage to its brain or something :(

This is a numbat! I just learned that they exist!

I would like to get into bird waching.
There's a male snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) that hunts around my house sometimes, there used to be one close to my uni too. Sometimes there are empty snail shells on the roof which are most likely dropped by this kite.

I love its laugh-like cry (first one in this video) but I can never imitate it well lol.

Kind of unrelated, but I also have an irrational fear of slugs. But when I pour salt on them (the only way I know how to get rid of them) I also feel terribly guilty FUCK. I think part of me thinks they're cute so it's sad to see them writhe in pain.

>>119525
Anon stop torturing them and just scoop them on some paper outside

Some prick left his dog on his car outside my house today, when I went to check on her (because she was freaking out for nearly an hour) my neighbour judged me for being nosy but I was ready to deck him for this puppy. I pray for the dog revolution

>>119677
sorry

>>119680
I understand it's scary, but once you do it a few times you'll feel a lot better than you do now using salt, best of luck with the birds

>>118607
Very cool, thanks for sharing anon. How many pets do you have at home total?