Cats self-feeding........

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Nan - 01 Jan 2007 06:25 GMT

Pumpkin is an outdoor cat (we MUST have a dog door for our big Lab and
it took Pumpkin two days to learn how to jump thru the "dog" door,
climb the fence (which the Lab can't) and roam the neighborhood. No
neighbors feed him but his diet (dry IAMs kibble plus cat meat in small
cans) is supplemented by lizards, mice and birds. Sometimes he "gifts"
me with them - live. But some he eats and all I see are some feathers
on the porch. I sometimes worry about this but he seems very healthy,
not fat, but a solid 11 pounds with very thick and lovely fur.
And he was a stray who walked into the house a year ago and comes home
every few hours so I guess he's a permanent resident.
Nan

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Ted Davis - 01 Jan 2007 16:26 GMT

>Pumpkin is an outdoor cat (we MUST have a dog door for our big Lab and
>it took Pumpkin two days to learn how to jump thru the "dog" door,
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>And he was a stray who walked into the house a year ago and comes home
>every few hours so I guess he's a permanent resident.

Keep checking for worms: cats that feed themselves tend to get them.
I just did a round of worm medicine on my cats because three of them
were shedding tapeworm segments (and therefore most of the others
probably had them too). All of them *hate* the (palatable!?) All
Wormer paste.

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Space - 02 Jan 2007 19:13 GMT

> >Pumpkin is an outdoor cat (we MUST have a dog door for our big Lab and
> >it took Pumpkin two days to learn how to jump thru the "dog" door,
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> probably had them too). All of them *hate* the (palatable!?) All
> Wormer paste.

yeuch - I hate seeing the tell tale signs of worms on a black cat!!
disgusting!!

riley does suffer from worms more than the other two. and I suspect it is
from eating wildlife.

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Space - 02 Jan 2007 19:12 GMT

he sounds like my cat riley. riley self feeds. we have a cat flap and he
goes out and about and catches all kinds of creatures. we don't get many
lizards in North West of England.

I wish he wasn't a predator but he is. .

he is a big cat (long and tall) and weighs about the same as pumpkin. when
I found out his weighed I was a little concerned but then when I look at him
I can see that he is the right weight for his height/build. the vet also
had no concerns.

> Pumpkin is an outdoor cat (we MUST have a dog door for our big Lab and
> it took Pumpkin two days to learn how to jump thru the "dog" door,
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> every few hours so I guess he's a permanent resident.
> Nan

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William Graham - 03 Jan 2007 02:00 GMT

> he sounds like my cat riley. riley self feeds. we have a cat flap and he
> goes out and about and catches all kinds of creatures. we don't get many
> lizards in North West of England.
>
> I wish he wasn't a predator but he is. .

Some cats collect little creatures, but don't kill them....We have one who
likes to bring garden snakes into the house.....My wife keeps putting them
on a dustpan, and bringing them back out into the garden, but a few days
later, the cat brings them in again....He never seems to hurt them, just
delivers them to us unharmed....I think he thinks they are a present for
us........I think the snakes are getting used to it....They don't seem to
mind anymore.....:^)

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Monique - 10 Jan 2007 02:22 GMT

> > he sounds like my cat riley. riley self feeds. we have a cat flap and he
> > goes out and about and catches all kinds of creatures. we don't get many
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> us........I think the snakes are getting used to it....They don't seem to
> mind anymore.....:^)

Of six cats, only one (2.8yrs) regularly comes home with birds. I think
he likes to let them loose inside so he can catch them again. :s
Another (1yr) is always collecting lizards, bringing them into the
house and playing with/ looking after them. I think the ones that I see
dead have died from stress, too much 'looking after' can be bad. But
there have been times when I have put lizards back outside, only to see
the same ones brought back in days or weeks later, usually with thier
tails starting to regrow. She has even been known to put them in the
water bowl - not to drown, but to swim! She 'calls' them with the mummy
cat 'prrrrt', which is how I can get to them before they keel over.

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