This is a photo of the fish tank from today.

I hope you can see it ok.

Only just found this thread!  I know it is an old one, but for all of us new to the forum, thought it would be nice to keep it going?  Any way, here is the story of my 3 beautiful babies (cats)!!!!

I have had Chloe from 4 months old.  She was from a rescue centre (the old couple who had her had to move to sheltered housing, where no pets were allowed).  She has lived with me since 2001, so in human years she is around 50-60!  She is very temperamental, can be really loving one minute, and then try to bite you; this isn’t down to age, she’s always been like this!  She also whinges when you walk past her without giving her a stroke.  A real grumpy puss, but I love her to bits!

I got Jess in 2006, by accident!  She was my sisters cat, and she stayed with me when she went on holiday for two weeks, and she never went home   My sister had recently moved in with her partner, who had 3 kids and a dog, and Jess was very unsettled by the move and the constant noise in the house.  My sister decided she would be better with me (when she came to collect Jess after the holiday, Jess hid as soon as she heard my sisters voice, and wouldn’t come out for love nor tuna!!!!).  I think she is about 13, so getting on a bit, but such a sweety!  She loves company, and doesn’t meow, but chirps at you!  You can almost have a full conversation with her

My husband and I found Sam abandoned in our green house (there was a broken pane of glass where he got in) when he was around 5 weeks old   He had cat flu, and was so poorly and tiny we didn’t think he’d survive.  He hadn’t even been weaned; we are guessing the mother cat realised he didn’t have long, so concentrated on her healthy kittens.  Luckily (with help from the vets) he pulled through, and is the most healthy and robust cat I have ever known!!  He is now 3 years old, and full of life.  He also doesn’t realise he is a cat!!!!  My husband plays “rough” with him, and most cats would run a mile, but Sam comes back for more   He is such a loving little boy, and so handsome (I know, I am biased!).

Love to hear about your pets!!  Pictures are left to right, Jess, Sam, Chloe.

I’m loving the pictures of all these lovely pets. I have a cat called Samson who adopted us (so true!) from the Cats Protection League 3 years ago. He rules the roost and I don’t mind at all (I think we’re the servants and he’s the master if you know what I mean). He is a proper lap cat and so loving, so he deserves all the pampering he gets.

Ahh, Samson looks so gorgeous!

Thanks Emma, he was (as he is at this moment in time) taking a cat nap on my lap. Your kitties look gorgeous too. We used to have a brown tabby cat who died a few years ago, and we just had to have another cat, not to forget her, you can never do that, but we needed a cuddly companion to help us get over our loss. He certainly fits the bill!

I do know what you mean about having to have a cat.  As you say, you can never replace the ones that have gone, but I would be lost without at least one cat in the house!  I have had cats since I was 13, with a two year gap when I married my ex, who was in the army.  Once he came out and we had our own house (living in an army quarter before, so not easy to have pets), I got Chloe.  She was a blessing when we split up, as meant I didn’t have an empty house to come home to LOL! A house isn’t a home without a cat (or other pet for that matter!).  I’d love to have a dog, but as we both work it wouldn’t be fair; at least the cats can look after themselves during the working day

I am animal crazy (and so is hubby!), so if we ever win the lottery, we would end up having a small holding, with chickens, goats, dogs, horses and of course cats!!!

Oh, picture of Sam all grown up below!  Could only add three to the first post, so his kitten photo won out in the cuteness stakes!!!!

Ahhhh what a little cutie Sam is - and just like the Felix cat, so sweet!

He is cute isn’t he   Took two weeks to name him (we went through Bilbo, Legolass, and others!!!).  My favourite actor is Samuel L Jackson, so we call Sam “Samuel L Catson”!!!!!!  Hubby also said he is a rebel with dirty paws LOL!

Recently saw in the Sun that black and white cats are harder to home   Seems cat rescue centres have a lot of these cats, people want more colourful cats.  I love my DJ Sam, wouldn’t change him for the world.  Am very tempeted to get a bow tie for him, just to finish off the DJ thing!!!!  Would only be for photos though, I am not that sad LOL!

Emma.

Oooh, I can imagine he would look like the cat’s whiskers in a bow tie, just purrrrfect, lol!!

Yes, I read the article in the Sun about black and white cats not being as favourable as others which is really sad because you would think with the cat food cheeky chappie ‘Felix’ advertising them, they would be snapped up. As soon as I saw Samson, I fell in love with him and his colour didn’t even come into it (one look from those gorgeous green eyes, and I was sold!!) He’s my monochrome minx, bless him!!

As a side note, just renewed my pet insurance, and let me tell you, just like car insurance, prices have gone up this year   If you have your little ones insured, definitely worth shopping around.  Have just got a policy from Pet-insurance.co.uk, and although it is £1 a month more than I was paying for 3 cats before (now £14.36), the cover is loads better!  My previous insurers put up the excess from £50 to £75, and on the girls (who are both over 10 years old) it was £75 + 25% of the vet bill!  It also only covered them for 12 months for an illness.  At their time of life, it is likely any illness will be with them for life The new policy covers any ailments for life, and the excess was £75, with no added percentage!  Also covers them for up to £4000 a year, the old one was only £1000.

As I said, worth shopping around!

Proudcurlygirl,

I hate people who chose pets for their status or whether they match their house!!!  Like partners, a pet should be all about it’s character, not what colour or how handsome it is.  As much as I didn’t actually choose two of mine, I love their characters, and the fact that they are nice to look at is a bonus!!!

My sisters ex (very recent breakup, don’t ask LOL!) got her an Egyptian Mau and a Bengal (both full pedigrees) not long after I had Jess off them.  He was all about showing off, and the cats reflected this   Lovely cats, but no character what so ever.  Jess is full of character, but as she is a moggy, he wasn’t interested.  Oh well, I did well out of it!!!  Jess is so loving, such a cutey   She is much happier with us, no where near the same cat as she was with them.  I am dreading the day when she leaves us   At least I will know her last years were good ones (hopefully she has a few years left in her LOL!).

Emma.

  Emma, regarding the pet insurance, yes, you’re absolutely right about shopping around. How one company’s prices can vary so vastly from another is quite shocking. It’s amazing how many people you speak to who own pets but don’t have any insurance for them. We insured Samson straight away and I’m so glad we did now, because within weeks, he had a lucky escape with a car (he broke his pelvis and had to have an operation). Luckily, he’s as fit as a fiddle now and you wouldn’t even tell he had anything wrong with him.  But if he wasn’t insured, the vet’s bill would’ve been nearly £1,000!!!

I’m glad to hear that Jess is a much happier puss in your household. As you say, all they need is love and affection and they pick up a happy vibe straight away. I know, like yourself, that my home would be a much lonelier place without my lovely little moggy. His purrs melt away any stresses and are a much better cure than any headache pills. Long life to all our furry friends!

I never previously insured my cats, but when I got Chloe I did.  So glad, as she is prone to cystitus when stressed, and the insurance paid for itself within two years LOL! (Funnily enough, since leaving my ex, she hasn’t had cystitus since; hmm, let me think…!!!!).

It is shocking the difference in prices, some companies wanted £20 a month just for Chloe (who is 10)!!  I got caught out with Jess Had only had her a few months, and hadn’t got round to adding her to the policy, when she was really ill I thought she had been poisoned (I knew neighbours where using slug pellets), as she was lethargic, breathing heavily and drooling like mad.  After a mad rush to the vets (and every test under the sun!), it turned out they thought she had a panic attack!  Cost me £200 though   Worth it, as I would never have forgiven myself if she had died, but she was insured the very next day LOL!

You’re right, the insurance is well worth taking out especially when our furry friends become ill. I can understand people thinking ‘I won’t bother and I’ll take the chance because hopefully trips to the vet will be few and far between’ (I thought that way myself in the past!), but as you previously said, if you shop around, (and there are vast differences in some insurance companies), you can find a plan to suit your budget. Having said all that, let’s hope we don’t have cause to use the insurance too often, vet’s surgeries are scary places for humans and animals alike, lol!