I know we're not supposed to discuss medical issues, but....

SteveShaw · Post by **SteveShaw** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 4:53 pm

I have a cat (among others) that's 16 years old and who's been overweight for 15 of 'em. He's happy, active and has no ailments and has hardly ever been to a vet. We feed him the same as the others. He must be catching and eating rabbits or something, or visiting softie neighbours. We do live in the middle of the countryside. His name is Fig. He's a good mate of mine.

Steve

dfernandez77 · Post by **dfernandez77** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 7:05 pm

peeplj wrote:Here's one of our ferrets, Chewie:

But...
Doesn't he get annoyed when you gnaw on him?

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 8:30 pm

SteveShaw wrote:I have a cat (among others) that's 16 years old and who's been overweight for 15 of 'em. He's happy, active and has no ailments and has hardly ever been to a vet. We feed him the same as the others. He must be catching and eating rabbits or something, or visiting softie neighbours. We do live in the middle of the countryside. His name is Fig. He's a good mate of mine.

Steve

Well, if he's active and is able to groom himself I bet he isn't in the serious category of overweight. He doesn't look like that picture does he? One of the main things for cats apparently is that when they get too fat they can't groom themselves properly, they just can't reach spots, and they get skin problems and things. So you would have noticed that. He sounds like a good fellow.

James, I am scared to death of ferrets but I know that people love them very much. Do they bite you? He certainly looks like a very delicate little fellow. How does he take to getting a bath?

SteveShaw · Post by **SteveShaw** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 8:34 pm

Cynth wrote: I am scared to death of ferrets but I know that people love them very much. Do they bite you? He certainly looks like a very delicate little fellow. How does he take to getting a bath?

Just don't get one up your nightie and you'll be OK!

missy · Post by **missy** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 8:46 pm

had a ferret for about 5 years. If they can get their head in something, they can get their entire body in (like in the radiators, in between the coils of the fridge, you name it).

When we got our first boxer, we were very strict with him that he would NOT harm the ferret. However, we didn't "train" the ferret. He (Bandit) would lie in wait for the boxer (Porky) and when Porky least expected it, Bandit would come running out of hiding, pounce on his face and bite his dewlaps. And the dog would just sit there and take it, looking up at us with this expression of "help??".

We finally gave the ferret to someone who had no pets, and all were much happier.

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 9:20 pm

SteveShaw wrote:
Cynth wrote: I am scared to death of ferrets but I know that people love them very much. Do they bite you? He certainly looks like a very delicate little fellow. How does he take to getting a bath?
Just don't get one up your nightie and you'll be OK!

Ferrets may be a terror to dogs and cats, but a properly raised ferret is a joy to have and be around.

A well-trained ferret won't bite a human. Even if you are doing something to them they REALLY don't like, for instance bathing them, clipping their claws, cleaning their ears, etc, they won't bite--they just try to get away from you.

When the vet had to take Chewie's temp once, he didn't try to bite her. She's not his favorite person in the world, though.

Gotta watch them vets! They'll get you in the end...

Steve, a ferret would LOVE to get in someone's nightie!

They love to find warm comfortable places like hammocks...or clothing. Ours love to crawl up our sleeves and then turn round and hang their head out so they can see what's going on. The only problem with it is they have an ENDLESS appetite for it...and they really tickle, especially it tickles when they brush your armpit with their whiskers.

Cynth, ferrets aren't particularly delicate. They are strong, well-muscled, and even though they don't remember why they have them, they have the teeth and claws of an obligate carnivore. However, they can't vocalize well, and many people have lost ferrets because the ferret couldn't cry out. Ferrets are particularly bad about crawling into furniture and going to sleep there; many die of suffocation when the furniture is sat on by an unsuspecting human.

If you're going to have a ferret or ferrets, it's really good to do your homework first and know what kind of pet you're getting, how to care for it, and in particular how to raise it and socialize it so that it doesn't grow up to be a bitey little monster. "Ferrets for Dummies" in particular is a wonderful resource that no home with ferrets should be without.

When you see a grown ferret who bites, it's a sure sign that the owner didn't have a clue, and it's sad, because after a certain amount of time they become harder and harder to socialize and train.

--James

Edited for to fix my grammer which was badder than usual.

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 9:36 pm

Luckily, my chubby cat manages to stay just zaftig enough not to lose her leaping, grooming, and other essential functions. And she's really quite proud of her figure, I think.

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 12:00 am

Zaftig . . . another excellent word! Wow! The board is full of them tonight!

Let's practice . . . Lamby is zaftig!

I like the sound of that!

SteveShaw · Post by **SteveShaw** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 6:51 am

Callipygian too.

djm · Post by **djm** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 7:35 am

Zaftig: buxom, pleasingly plump, more bounce per ounce

djm

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 8:18 am

peeplj wrote:Here's one of our ferrets, Chewie:

Nice looking weasle there.

Here's one of my departed ferrets, Moose-Moose.

I have had nine of these little guys over the years. Great characters.

chas · Post by **chas** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 9:50 am

We have an overweight cat. He's probably naturally about a 10 pound cat, and he weighs 14. He looks a lot like the cat in the pic, but is a smaller cat with a smaller frame. He looks like a doormat when he lies down on his belly. Thing is, before we got him, he hadn't been fed in three months. He lived on varmints. He was down to under 8 pounds and had worms. We had him wormed, and within probably six months he was up to 13 lb. After the weight didn't come off for a couple of years the vet had us put him on air crunchies and had us restrict his food. He became really agitated and started hunting to supplement his diet.

I dunno about any of you, but I don't have a cat so that he can swipe at me, be generally miserable, and hunt the local wildlife. I'd rather have a cat who admires birds from a distance and has a generally positive outlook on life for 15 years than a miserable cat who eats birds and chipmunks for 20 years.

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 10:09 am

SteveShaw wrote:
Cynth wrote: I am scared to death of ferrets but I know that people love them very much. Do they bite you? He certainly looks like a very delicate little fellow. How does he take to getting a bath?
Just don't get one up your nightie and you'll be OK!

James wrote:Cynth, ferrets aren't particularly delicate. They are strong, well-muscled, and even though they don't remember why they have them, they have the teeth and claws of an obligate carnivore. However, they can't vocalize well, and many people have lost ferrets because the ferret couldn't cry out. Ferrets are particularly bad about crawling into furniture and going to sleep there; many die of suffocation when the furniture is sat on by an unsuspecting human.

Well, they sound like they can be very sweet. I would be very worried about them getting into trouble if they don't call out. I guess you just have to know where they are at all times, and if you don't then you search until you find out. This is more or less my routine with our kitties except I know I won't be accidentally crushing them. Oh dear.

chas, it sounds like you tried your best. I can believe that some cats have special difficulties and I certainly don't think a person should torment them. Our cats do catch the occassional mouse or bird, but they are quite happy indoors and certainly not agitated.

I was just going to mention one thing I read that I thought was quite strange, it has nothing to do with your post. On a pet food website, one of those famous brands, it recommended cutting a cat's calories by 30% if it needed to lose weight. I think this is WAY too high no matter how overweight the cat is. I started out by giving my cat the maximum amount of food recommended for her overweight weight, since I didn't have any idea how many calories she had been taking in. She kept gaining weight, so I cut back the food by 5% each week, it's just a small amount. She finally stayed at the same weight, and then I continued to just cut it back by 5%. She lost about an ounce a week, or a little less. A heavy cat needs a lot of calories and to just cut back by a third or to cut back to the amount of food the cat should eat at an ideal weight seems cruel and dangerous to me.