Will my pet wood pigeon survive the winter?

Hi Graham and Steve,

I had to laugh as I saw Grahams post in the taxi back from the airport this afternoon. I've just returned from a fortnights holiday in sunny Portugal to be greeted by the most torrential downpour as we arrived home. 

Thanks for the concern but I'm back now.

ATB

Steve

Welcome home Steve.

Hope you had a great holiday and you are nice and relaxed. Will be interested in your review of Blonde on Blonde.

Graham.

Thanks Graham. I can't wait to hear it but the package was delivered to my neighbour who's out at the moment.   

Steve

Hope you had a nice holiday Steve 

Thanks Steve. Yes it was pleasant. Very nice hotel overlooking the marina in Portimao. Weather was excellent. The only negatives were no WiFi in the room and the fact I only won one of 6 rounds of golf against my 'bandit' wife, even when I played better than my handicap! Lovely food in the local restaurants. I'm now going to have to lose a little weight.

It's nice to get back to the music. I'm currently playing the 1st LP of the 45rpm Blonde on Blonde and I'm delighted with the SQ.

It was good to find out what happened to him, the people who took him to vet definitely did the right thing. It was strange that his tag and phone number was missing, he wasn't allowed out without his phone number around his neck.

That is his picture, taken during a serious wash.

She won't be getting a cat for a while. She's bought a couple of Russian Dwarfs.

Hello Debs etc

Just to keep you updated Cooper is now well integrated into the family. He is fast asleep on the cushon next to me as i type this post. eats like a good un.

I got back from football at 2.30 AM last week,kate wisely had gone upstairs to sleep. I crawls into my pit totally knackered,next thing Cooper jumps onto the bed wanting to play.

Mista h

hi mista h,

that is good news, perhaps you should buy him a few cat toys,

my 3 love to chase ping-pong balls around, good exercise which maybe is what Cooper needs

But you want to keep him safe inside during the evenings for the next week or two -

too many noisy fireworks going off this time of year.

I hope it rains non-stop really hard all Tuesday evening  

Debs

Nice to hear Coopers doing OK.

Next time he wants to play in the middle of the night , why not give him some of his own medicine.

Get your head down behind the sofa.

Is Cyril still around Fat cat,or has he found better food elsewhere ?

Mista h

Cyril is still around. We don't see him every day but he visited this morning and Saturday, last week he had a limp, but today he's fine.

I suspect other people will be feeding him, I've spotted him on the nearby roof of a pensioners bungalow a couple of times. I don't think he's going hungry, he won't eat white sliced bread, prefers home baked brown and very partial to crushed peanuts.

Debs

If you dont mind me asking as you are the naim cat expert.

How much food do you feed each of your 3 moggies each day?

At the moment out Lump is getting 2 pouches of wet food + a small bowl of biscuits per day.

It all goes.

Mista H

Mista H

For a cat of Cooper's size I'd say you have him on starvation rations. No wonder he's eating it all. Is he losing weight.

Our last cat used to eat that much and he was pretty slim.

Hello Fat Cat

Is he losing weight,is he hell. He has put on 1/2 a Kg since we got him. The fat lump is now 7Kg.

We were thinking of cutting him back to 1&1/2 pouches a day,but you have got me both thinking and worried now. I could box him up and send him round to you to feed !!

I think when he was living as a stray if ever food came along he went for it,and maybe he has yet to understand that he no longer has to worry where his his next meal is coming from.

Have to say he keeps himself VERY clean.

Mista h

PS...Is Debs on her hols,or is she working flat out on the Rounding up the wagons thread? Bet Richard just loves all those posts.

Hello Again Fat Cat

I cannot make this cat out!! Tonight i put him our a pouch of Felix fish and a seperate bowl of Organic freerange designer chicken(part of my meal).

Bowl of Felix is empty,chicken remains untouched.

Mista H

H,

  With a cat of 7kg and a 1/2 kg increase in a short time, i woud say he is overfed.

Wonder what his BMI is?

mista h,

Sorry I’m late answering your post [only just noticed it] sorry!

You going to need some tuf-love to diet a cat like Cooper, I suggest feeding him proper cat food only, 1 x 390g tin of Whiskas daily, and a handful of dry biscuit cat food that weighs no more than 25g [daily] on the scales.

The amount of dry food will look small, but it swells up a lot when hydrated inside the cat.

Make sure you change the water in his bowl everyday, twice a day is better.

Encourage him to go out more.

Buy him some cat toys to play with indoors.

If you go in your local Pets At Home store, they sell Hills Science Plan dry food for cats, and one of the range is a formula for overweight cats - that’s the one Cooper needs!

Morning Debs

Cooper has just been reading your post,also the one by Fat Cat and is in full agreement. Whilst Kate & i are thinking JESUS thats equal to 4 pouches a day you are suggesting. Are you sure of your numbers Debs ? We were thinking of cutting the him back to 1 and a 1/2 pouches a day as he is gaining weight Plus he gets a bowl of Hills  Oral Care a day.. Or failing that sending the lump round to Fat Cat so that he can feed him !!

You have 3 Mogs and if you give them a tin each per day you  must get thru an awful lot of cat food.

Mista h

mista h

Just asked my wife about how much our cats ate, she recons 400g of sachet food doesn't equate to 400g of tinned food. A she cat eats 1/2 a tin (200g), a tom 3/4 tin (300g), plus as small amount of biscuits. A tom eats 200g of sachet food.

We only gave sachet food to cats that wouldn't eat tinned, if Cooper is happy eating the tinned stuff let him eat it. You may find a flavour he's not very fond of, feeding him that may be a good idea, if a little cruel.

If you only give him 1/2 a sachet a day, you won't need to send him round to our house, he'd probably walk the 200 miles.

How are you measuring his weight increase. Where the same scales used on both occasions.

Is he really 7kg, or 7lbs

mista h,

feeding Cooper 1 x 390g tin daily may be too much, it depends on his age, how much exercise he does [or doesn't do], and if his weight gain is caused by an underlying medical condition - although I’m assuming the rescue centre where he came from checked him over?

The advise on the Whiskas 390g tin says:

A 4kg cat requires approximately 300g per day. Adjust the amount of food to the level of activity and body condition of your cat.

It may or may not do what it says on the tin, but a vet once told me an adult male cat can eat a 390g tin daily, but that’s maybe a young healthy tom.

I don’t know how much food Cooper is consuming at the present(?) but maybe it would be better to try half a tin? …or three quarters of a tin daily, along with 25g of dry food for overweight cats.

I find pouches work out very expensive. My 3 cats are 2 - 3 kg lightweights compared to your Cooper, they share a 390g tin between them daily but eat far more Go Cat biscuits.

I give them a Sheba treat a couple of times a week too : )

Debs

Hello Debs & Fat Cat

Cooper is defo 7kg,we get him weighed at our vets. His brief history is that he turned up all skin and bones in the garden of this wonderful lady in south Croydon appx a year ago. She sadly could not take him in as she already had....husband,2 cats,2 kids,dog,2 budgies,and was feeding a few young fox cubs in her back garden. But she did feed cooper who was at the time living as a stray.

At some point she took him to Croydon cat samaritans,who just happen to be right next door to our vets.They checked him over and found he had been spade and CCS paid to have him chipped. Its only a guess but we reckon he is about 5 years. He has yet to turn any food we give him down. Cost wise his food is cheap our local Poundland does a huge range of cat food,Felix.Whiskas,etc,etc,3 sachet for a quid.

Have to say he keeps himself supa clean and now goes out a couple of times a day for a few hours,so he is getting some excercise.

So for the moment kate & i have decided to feed him 2 sachet a day + biscuit,and get him weighed every 2 weeks.

Mista H

PS....Cyril ??

That heavy, 7kg is 3 bags of spuds. Is there a chance he may have lost weight during his time behind the sofa.

I haven't seen Cyril for a few weeks. About a month ago I posted he had a bad limp, then posted his leg was better. Discovered at the weekend Cyril doesn't have a limp, it's a different bird. I should have realised, Cyril lets me get within 8 foot of him before walking away, the only pigeon I've seen in the garden flies away as soon as I go near the garden.

Tony

I hope you dont mind if i send you an e-mail later on today. Still cannot get my head round how to post pictures on this board. Maybe you can do it for me. Steve J will enjoy it.

Mista h