topic Re: Pets during the festive period in Off-Topic

Pets during the festive period

Marjo — Sat, 08 Dec 2018 15:00:34 GMT

Hey guys,

How many of you have pets at home? With Christmas approaching it's important to think about our pets too. Not just for what you're going to get them as presents but to also make sure that they are comfortable and safe during the festive season which can get a bit hectic at times.

Treats:

Will you be giving your pets some delicious treats over Christmas? My cats will (shhh don't tell them yet!) get a little bit of boiled egg which is their ultimate favourite.

Many festive foods are unfortunately toxic to pets though - you can check out an RSPCA article about what is safe and what is not safe for cats and dogs on Christmas here.

Decorations:

Is your pet interested in the decorations you put up for Christmas? My cat back in the day always jumped into the tree and made it fall down until we realised to secure it by tying it with a piece of string to the curtain rail. She still jumped in the tree though, but at least it didn't fall down. All the tree hangings had to be safe (i.e. no chocolate or glass ornaments). Are you putting up any decorations just for your pets to enjoy and play with?

Atmosphere:

It can be stressful to pets when loads of people might visit over a few days, routines change, and loud music might be on. RSPCA also has some tips on keeping pets feeling calm during Christmas, see here.

Presents:

Most of us are probably giving something to our loved ones for Christmas, be it a greeting card or even a present. Do you normally give anything to your pets too, apart from possible treats? I normally wrap a bunch of toy mice for my cats into a little parcel for them, although I often end up unwrapping it myself as they don't understand what it is. For my previous cat my parents used to wrap a few pieces of shrimp in tin foil and place it under the Christmas tree.

Re: Pets during the festive period

Anonymous — Sat, 08 Dec 2018 15:49:54 GMT

I am pet free, so no worries here.. but I'm intrigued by cats loving eggs tho!

Re: Pets during the festive period

smh1982 — Sat, 08 Dec 2018 16:33:55 GMT

Not tried my cat with eggs, however he does like:-

cheese

potted beef

milk left over from having cornflakes for breakfast

Anyone else with cats/pets who like strange things they shouldn't really have?

Re: Pets during the festive period

gmarkj — Sat, 08 Dec 2018 17:19:24 GMT

Yep. One of the kittens likes:
Cheese.
Strawberry angel delight.
Non alcohol rose.
Custard.
Ice cream.
So not really!

Re: Pets during the festive period

Cleoriff — Sat, 08 Dec 2018 17:54:24 GMT

Both of my cats like ...

Cheese (prefer it toasted)

Ham

Custard

Ice-cream

Wafer thin chicken

Chicken SKIN

Eggs (fried, poached or boiled)

Sausages

Paper (just Lily, thank God):joy: She waits by the printer and it's a race as to who gets there first)

Routinely they have normal cat food and water.

As for presents at Christmas. Nothing special, occasionally a toy with catnip in.

Re: Pets during the festive period

TallTrees — Sat, 08 Dec 2018 19:34:58 GMT

HI @Marjo

Love animals ~ did have pets but look after the Garden Birds every day and the little Fox at night

she has a sandwich jam sometimes, peanut butter, honey or jam and peanut butter!

cut into small pieces for her ~ she goes round every day.

Bird Feeders front and back ~ love to watch them

Love it when they come in and are hanging off the feeders.

Re: Pets during the festive period

welshsteve76 — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 09:43:06 GMT

We don't currently have a pet (my wife is desparate for a Dashchund). But we have lots of birds who come into the garden. We have a robin who turns up every morning just outside our patio doors, tweeting away askign for food. Get's all excited when we come out with food then.

Re: Pets during the festive period

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 19:43:18 GMT

@TallTrees wrote:
HI @Marjo

Love animals ~ did have pets but look after the Garden Birds every day and the little Fox at night
she has a sandwich jam sometimes, peanut butter, honey or jam and peanut butter!
cut into small pieces for her ~ she goes round every day.
Bird Feeders front and back ~ love to watch them
Love it when they come in and are hanging off the feeders.

That all sounds truly lovely @TallTrees

Any chance of a pic or two of what sounds like a lovely garden you have

Re: Pets during the festive period

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 19:44:51 GMT

@welshsteve76 wrote:
We don't currently have a pet (my wife is desparate for a Dashchund). But we have lots of birds who come into the garden. We have a robin who turns up every morning just outside our patio doors, tweeting away askign for food. Get's all excited when we come out with food then.

What a lovely post @welshsteve76 thank you for sharing that with us

Re: Pets during the festive period

TallTrees — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 20:05:36 GMT

Hi @Anonymous
Will get a photo soonest, they were here this morning and the Robin like @welshsteve76 The Long Tail ****** were hanging upside down they don't stay still for long though 🦉🕊🐦🐥🌼🙋

Re: Pets during the festive period

welshsteve76 — Wed, 12 Dec 2018 12:09:14 GMT

Thanks @Anonymous He's a right cheeky robin. Flies around outside the window if you don't notice him at first LOL

Re: Pets during the festive period

Marjo — Wed, 12 Dec 2018 12:35:18 GMT

I've always wanted a garden with birds, but having always lived in a flat above ground I've not been able to. Lovely picture of the bird @welshsteve76

@smh1982 one of my cats, Drake, likes to chew plastic, especially plastic bags (which I always have to hide well) and all kinds of wrappings from things I buy that are made of soft plastic. I'm getting very good at remembering to unwrap everything immediately and not leave plastic lying around, although sometimes he just finds stuff I didn't realise I had, chews on it and pukes.

My other cat Arthur also likes cheese!

@gmarkj you mentioned non-alcoholic rose - I actually saw cat and dog beer and wine at a pet store some time ago. Perfect for those lonely nights you want to have a glass of red but no one to enjoy it with... It's made of natural things like (if I remember correctly) elderflower extracts etc.

Re: Pets during the festive period

smh1982 — Wed, 12 Dec 2018 13:55:13 GMT

Pepper waiting for his battered chicken burger

Re: Pets during the festive period

Marjo — Fri, 14 Dec 2018 16:55:01 GMT

Aww @smh1982 such a lovely black cat!

Re: Pets during the festive period

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Dec 2018 21:42:44 GMT

@smh1982 wrote:
Pepper waiting for his battered chicken burger

What a lovely photo of your cat @smh1982

I just have a thing for black cats ... my previous cat Wispa was black ... my Marty is ginger / white

Marty & me share a take-away cheeseburger I usually get all of the bread bap if I'm lucky