Welcome Cruisetime!

**Tubby & Peanut's Mom** · 10-05-2004, 10:58 AM

I just wanted to make an official welcome post for Debbie - aka Cruisetime. She recently joined after her and hubby adopted Joany, and Joany is her first cat ever so she has a lot of questions (as you may have noticed).

From reading another thread it sounds like she had a bad experience with a stray that was coming around which made her a little afraid of cats - so she has some learning to do, and who better to teach her than the entire PT gang!

I bet we can have her loving kitties so much that she gets another in no time flat!

Welcome to PT Debbie!!!

**DJFyrewolf36** · 10-05-2004, 11:30 AM

Yes Welcome!!! Its all PTs fault that I have my kitty (and am soonly getting aonther

) but I don't regret it one bit!

Hope I can be of help!

**kimlovescats** · 10-05-2004, 11:44 AM

OH!!! You have definitely come to the right place! Welcome Cruisetime!!!

**catnapper** · 10-05-2004, 11:45 AM

Here's my offical WELCOME too!

You'll love it here! Everyone is great, and you'll get a wealth of knowledge. But be warned, you will soon become addicted to both PT and cats!

You'll find yourself going about your day, and witness your cat dop something sooo cute... and before you know it, you're running to the computer to tell everyone about it! And then before long, you'll find that your camera is always there ready to capture that adoable moment!

**cruisetime** · 10-05-2004, 01:06 PM

Thank you all! And thank you for all the wonderful advice - I need it! I was worried about Joany all alone at home so soon so I took off (and hubby came too!) to see her at lunch - I only get about 5 minutes because of the distance to and from work but I was worried what she ahd gotten into since it is a new place for her. She had started clawing the coach this morning so I stopped and ran into Walmart and got double sided tape for the corner of the couch and a scratchng post for her. I'll need to make another one or two scratching posts to leave in the RVs we own for when we travel but I figured I needed one quickly with her already going after the furniture. She hadn't touched anything while we were gone and she looks like she had been sleeping - she is still under medication. By the way how do you all give the cats medication? I ended up this morning putting it in her food. She has eaten some of it with her food but some food and medicien was left. What do you suggest? It is tablet antobiotics and drops for pain.

BY THE WAY - she looks just like Remus but with a bob tail! So adorable!
Thanks again! Debbie

**slick** · 10-05-2004, 01:59 PM

Another Debbie!!! Welcome to Pet Talk Debbie. Take it slow though because soon the addiction will seep into every pore.

You'll find yourself going about your day, and witness your cat dop something sooo cute... and before you know it, you're running to the computer to tell everyone about it! And then before long, you'll find that your camera is always there ready to capture that adoable moment!

Ain't that the truth!!

**catlover4ever** · 10-05-2004, 02:01 PM

Welcome to PT!!! My name is Meg and I am currently owned by 5 cats, 1 stray cat and soon to be the proud cat-momma to Gracie and Gabriel (PT kittens).

**Vio&Juni** · 10-05-2004, 02:07 PM

Welcome Cruisetime!
PT is a great place!

**nibblets** · 10-05-2004, 02:43 PM

Hi Debbie...I'm Debi! I have just one cat, Julie.
I would love to have one or two more, but my son was a very hard sell just to agree to get Julie so I'm not pushing it. He loves her but isn't quite ready for multiple cats. He had a bad experience with a psycho cat at his friend's house when he was younger. [ He was spending the night and the cat attacked his head when he was sleeping. It put him off of cats for a long time]
I also have a 12 year old Bichon Frise named Buddy who would freak out with more cats in the house. So its basically the girls vs the boys at home. I must say that we girls rock

Enjoy PT...its a good source of information and entertainment.

**Jods** · 10-05-2004, 02:51 PM

WELCOME!!!! I'm owned by 2 cats and some other pets... I hang around in dog and cat general am looking forward to your posts!

**jazzcat** · 10-05-2004, 02:53 PM

Welcome!!!!

I have, hahaha, I started to say three cats and a dog but after this weekend's adoption fest at Kimlovescats I now have 5 cats and a dog. Wow, that was strange for me to say!

Anyway, congrats on Joany!

As for medicating her there is something you can buy call a pill shooter, I think, that several here use and can be bought at pet stores. I've learned with liquid it's easiest to wrap mine in a towel and have hubby hold them will I get it down their throat.

As for scratching you may want to give her several options like cardboard scratcher, carpeted and sisal. I use the double sided tape and I also pin sheets of aluminum foil to the furniture. I usually take it off before company comes but I didn't this weekend with sirrahbed and sirraned because they are cat people and understand.

**cruisetime** · 10-05-2004, 03:49 PM

Jazzcat - thank you. I was wondering about the liquid. Joany did not seem very interested this morning in having me give her the liquid and I didn't know if I should force her. I watched at the animal control shelter when they gave her the dewormer and she spit it back real fast!

I ended up putting it on her food. Though not sure it is effective that way. I went back at lunch and she was real lathargic again so she must have gotten some of the medicine - probably the antibiotic tablet that when broken in forths looks just like food. I can tell she got most of it when she ate. Thank you - I wasn't sure if I should put it down her throat or not. That lady at the front desk at the vet said the directions were on the paperwork she gave me but all it said was give twice a day - not HOW to give it - and she knew I didn't know about cats! Debbie

**rg_girlca** · 10-05-2004, 05:42 PM

Welcome to PT Cruisetime and congratulations on your first kitty.
You will learn in time that you can't just have one.

I don't know how many times I have said, "OK that's it, NO more cats." Now I have FOUR, but I also count my sons cat as mine, so you might as well say five, plus a dog.

You can see my Buddy, Katie, Mooky, and Chipper in my siggy and to be added will be my baby Poppy.

**QueenScoopalot** · 10-05-2004, 05:55 PM

Welcome to PT Debbie! I'm Jan, and I don't count cats here LOL! It's a revolving door here as I do a lot of rescuing of stray cats and kittens. Most of my 'keepers' are handicapped like Kirby in my signature. You may want to ask your vet (or other area vets) if they sell "Pill Pockets". These are moist treats with a little slit you put the pill into. Most cats gobble them up without realizing there's meds in them. If one of my cats starts to dissect it, I start patting them fast, and they think I'm stealing it and Voila' it's down the hatch! Congrats on your new kitten Joany...she sounds adorable!

**sirrahbed** · 10-05-2004, 06:22 PM

Hi Debbie

I hate to tell you, but my name is Debbie too! But Sirrahbed will do and that is just my name backwards. Harris is my last name and you will also eventually meet up with my daughters, (sirrahved and chrangharris) hubby (sirrahned) and sister (persianmom) here too.

I have FIVE kitties now - after this weekend since I was also down in Tennessee with Jazzcat (Lori) to adopt two of Kimlovescats rescue kittens from "Cats4Keeps".

I pill my cats by wrapping them in a towel like a tight burrito with all four paws in the burrito. Then I put thumb and middle finger on either side of their mouth way at the opening and open the mouth and use my index finger to push the pill as far into the throat as I can. Then I keep their nose pointed up and mouth closed until they swallow. It has always worked and thankfully I have not had to do it often or they would probably figure me out!! Some folks with hard to pill cats will grind them up and mix then with some baby food that the kitty likes. I have never tried the pill popper but many like that also. Others warp the pill in a treat the kitty likes and some places have special pill pockets that are treats with a slot to insert the pill but I have not tried those either. Mine are such picky eaters with treats that I don't think I could get a pill into them any way except force. Same with liguids. I use the burrito wrap and put the point of the syringe into one corner of their mouth (keeping face upward the whole time so it does not run out) and squeeze it in steadily but not too fast and holding the head up until I know that they have swallowed. The tight burrito always seems to work for me. If someone else is home - all the better! Good luck!!!

Oh and about the bath - usually cats do not need baths - they are so good about keeping themselves extremely clean and nice smelling. Most of my cats over the years have never needed a bath except for an occasionally stinky butt wipe

oh and WELCOME to PetTalk!!! I lve this place so much and bet you will too! The people are friendly and helpful it is lots of fun to share ideas, ask questions, look at and post pictures - just all that stuff!!

Glad you are here!!! Give Joany some chin scritches for me, OK?