The FastDay Forum

[carorees]

Ok, I'm thinking the general chat forum still has too much diet-related stuff so how about chatting about something else?

What about our pets?

To kick off, we have a small menagerie of 1 cat (used to be 2 until a month ago when one went missing and has not returned ); 5 chickens; 1 ancient horse and several tropical fish plus, not really pets but fun to watch, a garden pond full of newts!

The cat is a bit overweight and I did wonder about putting him on a fast but someone asked Dr M about that on twitter and several people tweeted back that it is dangerous to put cats on a rapid diet, so I am cutting him down gradually and am hardening my heart to his pitiful cries when he asks for a second breakfast

The horse is around 30 years old which is 90 in human terms and because he also tends to put on weight easily has been on a restricted diet for a long time...perhaps that is why he has lived so long!

Interestingly, there is also a saying that fat chickens don't lay eggs and it is also well known that you should not overfeed tropical fish!

So, I managed to drag the topic back to dieting after all!

Over to you...

Caroline appears to live in a zoo!

At the moment we have two rescue jack russells, they are bad mannered hooligans and I wouldnt change them for the world! Well, I'd quite like them to listen occasionally but we're working on that

Also we have 1 rat, he's a little elderly fella who is going a bit bald in places, sleeps a lot but moves very quickly when he hears you walk in the room or rustle anything.

We did at one point have 24 after a friend who works in vets rung me in a panic and said that they had someone in who wanted to know how to get rid of them all after they had mistook a male and a female for two females and had a slight accident

Luckily I had a few already and a some spare big cages so they came to live with us. Our little geriatric is now about 4 so he's doing well!

Most people shudder at the thought of rats but they are very intelligent and make great pets. They are far more trainable than a hamster and interact more so they are great for kids.

They do not wee on you, mine have all been litter trained, they don't smell and they love a cuddle!

We did have two cats but we lost both of them last year at the great age of 18 and we're not planning anymore ... for now

I can't imagine living in a house with no animals, it would just be unbearable

Pixie: I had rats too, it always saddens me when people dismiss them as disgusting and scary. They were my favourite rodent pets I ever had, but after a year I became allergic to them.

At home with my parents I have a 15 year old Westie called Tuna, who has been my oldest and most loyal friend. He's currently so old that he doesn't have the energy to go for long walks (but he's very healthy otherwise), so my parents have bought an old stroller and are pushing him around whenever they need to go somewhere that requires a slightly longer walk. It is wonderful to go home and become the crazy dog person

Besides that I've had guinea pigs and rabbits. But currently I'm not living in a place where it would be suitable for me to have any pets. I've told my boyfriend we're having a dog as soon as we can though. So let's hope that won't be for much longer, because I miss my little canine friend.

[Moogie]

Great topic! We all love to talk about our pets.

We've got a lovely little cat named Phoebe, she'll be 16 in June. She had weight problems due to my ex giving her too many treats (whole slices of ham! sometimes a few in a day), but she's now half the cat she was. The vet put her on Hill's R/D diet for a couple of years, which we weighed out into little boxes for her breakfast, lunch and dinner - each of those we'd then split into 2 meals, so little and often did the trick for her. She's half the cat she was! She's now on a senior light food to maintain her weight, but it means slightly smaller portions and the poor dear does beg a lot. She gets a little treat or two most days, but is still staying a healthy weight.

We'd love to have more cats, but Phoebe doesn't get on with other cats and is prone to cystitis when she gets stressed. So, the very sad day has to come before we can have more cats - and that's a day I'm in no hurry for. I've known her since she was a day old and I love her like a child.

We've also got 4 fish tanks - it was 6 over Christmas while I raised some fry. 3 of the tanks are tropical - 90l, 120l and 240l in size. The most recent addition is a marine tank of 92l, which we've had running for almost a month and hope to add a fish soon.

What can I say, hubby and I love cats and fish!

[Tracieknits]

I have two cats, a brother and sister and they could not be more different. Sam adores the dog and is a blond, short-haired tough guy. He is a fantastic hunter and keeps an eye on all of the wildlife outside the window. Once a chipmunk got into the house and Sam left the kill for me at the bottom of the stairs. Such a generous heart, that one.

Emme, his sister, is a delicate golden fluffball who looks down her nose at nearly everything. Her highness will deign allow the humans to pet her if they fulfill enough of her conditions first. She will also permit you to comb her if you sit very still with the comb and allow her to come to you. The dog is much too rowdy for her.

Our rescue dog is 1/2 golden retriever and 1/2 some sort of terrier mix. She was left in a dumpster with her littermates - one of whom appeared to be a purebred golden. She's only 40 pounds, very very sweet, and the way she can leap you'd think she was also part flying squirrel.

I have a 2 year old cockapoo called Lolly. She's my first dog and I was very unsure about getting a dog (kids now 14 and 10) but it was the best decision I made. I love our walks together.

We also have a giant African Land snail called Snaily Bob. Its my sons pet but I have to admit that its the easiest pet ever!

Oh and some fish in a pond in the garden

Hi Lovely post I have 3 border collie dogs who are very entertaining. They are so unconditional and make me laugh most days. Funnily enough they eat better than me and have a biological appropriate diet ie raw meat no weight issues there !!!

I can't imagine collies would ever get fat ... they're like jack russell terrorists and never keep still!

Oh lovely thread:)
We have 2 cats, Fatkipper, who is a tiny black tabby sweetheart and Gingernonuts who s a ginormous fat ginger Tom. He has successfully lost a kilo in the last year and has not enjoyed it. He is currently suffering PTSD after having to set foot outside whilst it's snowing.
Our other furry daughter is a mini Labradoodle named Flo or Florence when she is being naughty. Mad as a hatter but full of joy, she keeps us fit.
I would like hens but need to research carefully, I love hens.

We have 2 cats who are litter mates.

Jemima (who I've taken my forum name from) is a small black female and strangely loves to be out in the rain.

Henry is a big ginger tom, but as soft as anything and a bit of a scaredycat.

We also have 2 house bunnies who live in the dining room. They are Tasha and Charlie, both lion-head crosses with loads of hair.

I have an amazing Bengal Cat Leela and until two weeks ago a Silver Bengal kitten Babu who had to have re-homed as the older cat would not accept the kitten it nearly broke my heart, but it helped that I found him the perfect home with a couple she is completing her PHD in animal welfare and they have a dog who likes cats. They have been kind and sent me emails and a utube clip of him where he looks happy and is playing chase me chase me with the dog. Leela has returned to her old affectionate self which has helped but will miss Babu for ever.

I have a Manx cat (no tail) called Honey and a Jack Russell called Jessie (full of beans). Honey was a rescue cat from the cats protection guys and is 2 years old and Jessie is 1. They get on really well considering and they play quite well together, although the cat does let the dog know when she’s had enough, claw in the nose.

[Tracieknits]

aw Melanie - that's a shame! Bengals are beautiful animals.

Mole, they sound adorable.

Just testing the pic uploader

...and Trevor as well