Tales and Tails and NMCs - the Excellent Cats March On

[TheShellBeach]

Join us as 2024 starts and our cats continue to run our lives for us.

I bought some Lickelix and foster cat polished it off, but I've seen it contains milk and I thought cats shouldn't have milk. Have anybody's cats had diarrhoea after Lickelix?

That's right, they're lactose-intolerant. I don't know the treats in question, could they be lactose free?

Thanks for your kind wishes Shell. I'm discharged now but recovery will be a long process.

My friends' cat loves lick e lix but he is one of the minority of cats who are not lactose intolerant. Lik e lix definitely do contain milk but they don't carry any warnings do they? I'm not sure why.

Never affected any cat I know who's had Lik y Lix. They may somehow treat it to remove the lactose? My go to calmer (Zylkene) contains milk proteins but doesn't affect them & is happily sold by my vets.

I suspect that not all cats are lactose intolerant (or perhaps some cats are just more lactose tolerant than others?) While the days are long gone when one would regularly put down a bowl of milk for cats, ours still finish off any cream available or breakfast cereal milk left over and Sybil gets left over porridge all the time. As the person who cleans the litter tray I can confirm that none of ours seem to ever have any adverse reaction to it.

Not cat related at all - but DS1 stayed at ours for a few days this week because he needed to put some serious piano practice in and his room in London only has a keyboard. His partner came over for one night so we went out for a meal. She always offers to pay, but we generally do (obviously we are in a far more comfortable financial position than them, and we are very happy to do so anyway). At the end of the meal I was going to pay to be told that GF had already been up and paid because she knew if she offered, we'd say "thanks but don't worry, we'll get it". Just thought I'd share because I thought that was really sweet (who knows, maybe one day DS1 might pay for a meal out 🤣🤣🤣)

That is so so sweet Grumpy. What a lovely girl.

And she loves the cats. A treasure.Good luck to DS on the ol’ Joanna.

Prince woke me up cos Havelock was outside ‘potentially struggling with a chilly tail’. They’ve both had big brekker and stomped out to tell Ginger-and-White-Bastard the price of fish.

That's lovely Grumpy. I have noticed that all my nephews in turn have been a lot more responsive to their mother's birthday since they have got long term or permanent girlfriends/wives, a definite pattern showing after 3 of them. I wonder if the 4th will get the message any time soon?

Tobias is back to his normal slightly soft poos, and is tucking into meals and kibble quite happily now. I threw away the 3rd dose of the vile brown paste as absolutely no point in even trying to get it in him.

also had another of those tiny "wins" this morning. Put breakfast down, his bowl is always to the right & down first then Girlcat's to the left, and he went to eat hers before she got to it. I gently pushed him towards his bowl and he DIDN'T RUN AWAY IN PANIC, just looked at my grumpily then tucked in. And let me stroke him as he was approaching it rather than the normal starting to stroke after he's thoroughly involved in the food. Heading for 11 months he's been here, reckon by the time 2 years is up he will let me stroke him when there's no food involved (fingers crossed and touching wood).

Our own DS1 is up in the village, and staying with DS2, and is deeply impressed with DS2's flat.
It wouldn't surprise me if DS1 eventually moved here as well.

We've got another yellow weather warning today, but Linney went out anyway.

He'll be back, miaowing plaintively, when the rain starts.

TWO MINUTES LATER:

<<plaintive miaows>>

........and Linney is back already.

Frankie is clearly feeling much better. He was one of the first ones at the food plates this morning and one of the last to finish. I think because he's so teeny just missing one or two meals makes a big difference in how he looks. He looks healthier today and curled up next to my shoulders all night which was lovely.

Allergic that is a big win. Tobias loves you.

Wishing you well for your recovery, Nettie. Take it easy.

Thanks Papergirl1968! Hope you are managing OK too with all the changes you have had to go through.

And yet a further little indicator of Tobias's growing comfort. DSis came round just now for a couple of things including her birthday pressie, and spare cat toys from multi packs I'd bought (as her new ones are hopefully coming home this week). Did the necessary bits & were sitting watching Father Brown with a cuppa when Tobias came into the room, observed her sitting there & walked straight past to hoover up a few crumbs of breakfast that were left. He sauntered back up the room & sat quite close to her watching her quite calmly for about 15 mins, then went back up to bed.

Lana I agree he really does want the cuddles & fuss Girlcats gets, he just can't yet bring himself around to trusting me. I can see him observing us wistfully when she's having snuggles from me.

Well done Tobias, you'll be having loving snuggles in no time.

It's taken Frankie about two years to get to this level of relaxation with me.

Linney has only got fairly close to us since Emerald died last July. She was his older sister and quite dominant.

But he's happy for us to stroke him now, and he lies on the bed next to Mr SB every night.

And Linney on the bed

Oh that fluffy tummy! Linney is adorable 😍🥰

NMK! Mittens, DS's new kitten
Unfortunately, DS lives over 100 miles away.

For a moment after this arrived, I had a look at local rescue centres. but one of my own would be too much of a tie. With a huge effort, I managed to Step Away From the Rescue Cats.

@SequentialAnalyst That is one of the cutest things I have seen all weekend. I hope you will get DS to keep us updated on Mittens with daily photos.

@SequentialAnalyst Mittens is absolutely gorgeous (but you knew that already 🤣).

Aww Mittens!
Gorgeous example of kittendom.

What?
Someone knocked over a vase?

No. It was not I. I am surprised and disappointed that you thought I might have been responsible.

What's that? Someone is accusing my twin of doing naughty things?