On Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:10:07 -0400, Cheryl >
wrote:

>On 10/18/2011 10:02 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>> On Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:35:24 -0400, >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On 10/18/2011 8:18 PM, A Moose in Love wrote:
>>>
>>>> I'm just curious, what's involved in having a cat as a pet. I live in
>>>> the city, and think that dogs should be unchained and running free.
>>>> However cats, it doesn't seem to hurt them that they are cooped up
>>>> inside for many days.
>>>> How much are vets fees, do they shed, etc. The only experience I have
>>>> are with cats that lived on our farm, and ran around outside. I don't
>>>> want to declaw them, but is that necessary? etc.
>>>
>>> First, there is no reason to declaw a cat. They come with claws and if
>>> you don't like that feature, pick another pet.
>>>
>>> They mostly do shed, and they scratch things. You can give them things
>>> that belong to them to scratch on, and trust me, they learn that they
>>> belong to them and they can scratch to their hearts content. You have to
>>> learn what they like to scratch. Some like vertical, some like
>>> horizontal. I offer both for scratching. I have cat trees that fit the
>>> decor of the rooms they are in, and are located where they can climb and
>>> love to look over their domain. I have smaller scratching posts at the
>>> corner of furniture that the cats would like to scratch, but the posts
>>> are more delightful for them so they use them.
>>>
>>> Vet bills are something you can't predict. I once used a vet insurance
>>> policy but the first time they paid out it was so small it wasn't worth
>>> it. I just plan for it in my budget. Regular exams for my cats are
>>> about $35 but it can vary, and of course shots or other treatment will
>>> be more.
>>>
>>> Go for high quality food because it will likely lead to lower vet bills
>>>from better nutrition.
>>>
>>> Environmental enrichment is important. More than one cat will help them
>>> have buddies. Sometimes they get along, sometimes they don't, but they
>>> have their own kind around and usually bond even just for grooming or
>>> playing (which can get rough). They may never be buddies but could
>>> surprise you because their purrsonalities change and they can settle
>>> down after they get comfortable.
>>>
>>> I just offer plenty of climbing places because they love to be on top.
>>> They like windows to survey their outside domain even if they don't go
>>> out their. I went one further step and had a screened in porch built
>>> for them. I'm still getting things in there for them so for now, it's
>>> just a chair and a couple of perches to be "up" which is what they like.
>>> They like to chew grass but it always make them hork and the grass
>>> hasn't grown yet in their outside thing so they fight over the few
>>> strands that do grow.
>>>
>>> Here's a pic from part of a series from my deck renovation.
>>> http://i54.tinypic.com/11cdson.jpg
>>
>> That's a nice deck, looks new. But I hope you're not going to always
>> have such a crappy lawn. Take that damn grill off your deck before
>> you have a disaster... put it on your crappy lawn, at least 15 feet
>> from anything that can burn.
>
>Here's the rest of the "after" pics of the deck.
>
>http://i56.tinypic.com/2rc1hd3.jpg
>
>http://i52.tinypic.com/2iu9n3a.jpg
>
>http://i55.tinypic.com/2w69q3o.jpg
>
>http://i51.tinypic.com/1z8cpk.jpg

Looks like a slum... get that propane tank out of there and get the
grill off the deck. There's something wrong with your widdle brain.

>http://i52.tinypic.com/2dh9njt.jpg
>
>http://i54.tinypic.com/11cdson.jpg
>
>http://i55.tinypic.com/14kd2qc.jpg