Does My Bum Look Big In This?

[Flying Pigs]

The kittens have got these new fast opening collars that will open up if a cat gets stuck on something. I ruined the first one as I couldn't work out how to open it and neither could DH. Went back to Pets At Home or whatever its called and the assistant showed me how to do it. I had been too careful you have to pull them very sharply as they are quick release. The kittens wear collars as a deterrent to anyone who things they might be abandoned. No, they are mine, all mine!

 

[janie]

i fret about collars too and when i first put lou's new one on spent ages making sure it would pull over his head. he doesn't usually wear one but fortunately isn't bothered whether he does or not but i wanted it on in case he wandered off when he went outside after months indoors. seems to me people often don't think about checking for a microchip.

FP - those snap apart types do need quite a tug - do the kittens have enough weight to make that happen? *worry*

 

[Flying Pigs]

Yes Janie. Boris is much bigger than Katya and started wearing his just before Christmas. Miss Smartpants started wearing hers last week.

 

[Tinkerbelle]

My boys used to wear collars but I didn't bother to replace them when I got the micro chip cat flap. Alf was always losing his.

I wanted them to wear collars so people would know they weren't strays too but you couldn't see the blipping things lol

 

[Drifter McFluff]

My two are indoor cats so don't wear collars, but Waffle goes outside in his smart blue harness!

He says he can't walk in it, until he sees a bug then VROOOM he's off!

 

[Weathergirl]

Alfie is at the vets drop in now for his program injection. It is the only thing that worked after an attack of fleas about 4 years ago. Frontline did nothing and he refuses to wear a collar so we just rely on the microchip.

He keeps throwing up his food so hubby is going to mention this to the vet too.

 

[SparklyBarbs]

I'm getting worried here about Hopey, we just buy the flea injections from Pets at home, and do it ourselves, but from reading all these i'm afraid its not working. should i take her to

the vets to be done, i don't want fleas. She doesn;t go out much and socialise, just in the back hedge etc., and in again, and should she have injections (what is a program injection)

Am i being bad owner to her @(

 

[minim]

I hope Alfie has a clean bill of health WG.

Meg has got a heart murmur so we were advised against Program 6 Month Injectable.

 

[minim]

I'm getting worried here about Hopey, we just buy the flea injections from Pets at home, and do it ourselves, but from reading all these i'm afraid its not working. should i take her to
the vets to be done, i don't want fleas. She doesn;t go out much and socialise, just in the back hedge etc., and in again, and should she have injections (what is a program injection)
Am i being bad owner to her @(

Oh course you are not a bad owner. Perish the thought.
What works for one doesn't necessarily work for another Barbs. Same thing happens with humans on medication as you must know being in the profession.

They can pick fleas up so easily - well, Meg can
Get a load of this lot
Foggers and bombs lol
http://www.fabcats.org/owners/fleas/info.html

...... and be even more confused.

 

[janie]

barbs, course you're not a bad owner silly - whatever you're doing is obviously working because if hopey had fleas you'd know about it soon enough. i only chose to have lou programmed because nothing else worked. it's actually one of the oldest methods around and it's a pain because it means a trip to the vet.

 

[Weathergirl]

Thanks Min.Alfie's tummy is "a bit inflamed" but he is "in good nick" and "obviously not losing weight!" (all the vet's description). He injected him with something to soothe his tummy, wormed him and gave him the program injection.

Barbs- you are not a bad owner at all. I don't know what it is you bought but what the program does is make any flea that bites the cat infertile, so the fleas just die off without breeding. If your cat gets fleas they won't go away unless you can stop the blighters breeding as well as killing them. I know frontline works in the combi form but not for Alfie.The vet administers Program every 6 months, and not a single flea in 4 years now.

Alfie was sn indoor cat when we lived at the flat but he goes outside now. Despite this he still managed to get fleas- I think off a stray that wandered in. It could even be one that came in on one of your shoes, or from a friend's pet carried to your home on a coat or something. Indoor or outdoor cat there is no escape!

 

[SparklyBarbs]

How would we know if we'd fleas, would we see them. ?? Minim i started reading that thread and im itching already, so will check it out later lol.

Think a trip to the vet is due, to give her a check up, and injection, and boy does she have long claws, they do some damage

Every time we take her to the vets she's sick, so i try not to do it, and she hasn;t been in a while, so now is probably a good time. My son's

cat is very nervous, and its a he, and he was in a fight, and i got them a taxi to the vets (cheaper than me going up there) and Jelly peeded in

the taxi and we had to pay £30.00 to the driver, (or me had to pay) plus all the fees to get him fixed up. After that i got him insured. But he's

still terrrible nervous, and i now take him, armed with towels and plastic bags

 

[minim]

Oh yes Barbs, you feel them alright. In my case the first signs are little bites around my ankles. And if it's bad, you see them.

I remember coming home from work to our first house, grabbing a glass of squash because it was a very hot summer & ringing our mama.
I bent to pick up the glass I'd put on the floor and to my horror I saw fleas in it! They were hopping like mad. The phone was in the room laughing called the dining room (we had no furniture in it) and we only went in there to use the phone. The previous owners had had a cat.
I got a bowl of water & put that down and they were jumping in like fun - I don't know why.

The second infestation we had was a good few years later, again during a hot summer. We were told to ring the council & two nice men came and suited up like spacemen to spray every room. Our male cat had been living outside so we were prey. Consequently, I buy flea collars when the label tells me I should.

None of my cats have been sick in the car thank goodness. Meg moans all the way there and is totally silent on the way home.

 

[Flying Pigs]

Never had problems with fleas Barbs with two previous cats. I am guessing it will be more of a problem having two at the same time. Our first cat broke out of her box the first time I took her to the vets and spent most of the journey on the headrest behind me. Our last cat hated the vets or the cattery and had to be tricked into her carrier. All visits had to be carefully planned as she would disappear for hours if she saw signs like suitcases or cat baskets around. She would complain very loudly all the way there and back but was always as good as gold at the vets or the cattery. She would always ignore me for at least a day after any trip. The kittens don't complain at all but just huddle together. As they are heavy now I will have to buy another basket so I can carry one in each hand.

 

[SparklyBarbs]

Oh they sound so cute, huddled together, i'd love a kitten but OH won't hear of it, and i don't know how Hopey would take to it,

she's not really a cuddly cat, she's a bit of a tiger and only sits on my knee if she takes the notion, and thats not often enough

 

[janie]

before it gets to the stage of you being bitten barbs, you'd notice hopey scratching like mad. she sounds like she's doing just fine with what you're using, to me.

 

[Tinkerbelle]

I only use monthly drops Barbs but Alf needs prescription only stuff because he over grooms himself if he gets bitten. I'd taken him to get his jabs and was buying six months supply so took advantage and got the vet to help me.

I'm amazed a bloody flea can find a bit if skin to bite if I'm honest with all that fur. I'm buggered if I can find any skin when I'm trying to put the drops on!

 

[minim]

 

[Flying Pigs]

Spot on Meg!

 

[BusyMum]

Jess gets Frontlined all thru the warmer months (well starting March) and she's not had fleas yet but some seem to pick them up like billy-o. She is always rolling in the soil in the garden so if she doesn't get fleas I think she brings just about everything else in with her (including mice & frogs!)