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August 2011

Book Review: The Complete Cat by Vicky Halls

By Amazon, Books & Authors, Pets, ReviewsNo Comments
the-complete-cat-vicky-halls The Complete Cat by Vicky Halls was a book that was recommended to me on a Bengal cat forum as a soon to be new owner of two kittens (see New editions to the family & Kittens at home and spending time with Family and Friends).

Vicky Halls is apparently well known in cat circles as the clever cat woman and The Complete Cat demonstrates her knowledge of the feline species. The book is over 500 pages long and starts with an introductory letter to the person considering getting the cat:

Hello,
Let me tell you what a cat will bring to your life.

A cat is a naturally undemanding creature that usually takes out of the relationship what you are prepared to put in and nothing more. Cats have moments when they seem intensely pleased to see you and yet they don’t sit and pine when you are out. They have a secret life outside your relationship, but when you are there you will be appreciated. They may show you love when you are busy and spurn you when you want a cuddle; it’s not always possible to turn their love on like a tap.

Cats seek out warm, secure places to sleep and so often prefer to share your bed. They see this as a privilege and not a right, so a hammock attached to a radiator or a place near the Aga will do instead.

If you are sad they will fall off the back of the sofa for you or lie with their legs in the air just to make you laugh. They are comedians in fur coats.

They will eat expensive prawns or simple cat food; the trick is to start as you mean to go on. They accept their lot – but the more you give, the more they will want. Be brave enough to have rules and you should still manage to maintain control of the household.

You will struggle giving them pills, hate car journeys with them, be revolted by their hairballs and have every comfy chair in the house covered with a cat blanket. What you will get in return from your cat, if you are lucky, is twenty years of shared experiences, house moves, growing children, heartaches and happiness. You will take a million photographs of him over years and eventually, you will develop your own personal language to understand what he wants and when he wants it. When he is gone you will mourn and marvel at how much you could miss such a small furry creature.

In conclusion, I am recommending wholeheartedly sharing your home with a cat. Once you have experienced the delights you will never regret your decision.

Yours Truly,

A cat lover

Copy Right Vicky Halls (2008).

This letter immediately got me hooked on The Complete Cat, enjoying Vicky Halls engaging writing style. The book covers everything you could ever want to know about cats including: selecting kittens, integrating adult cats, multi cat households, diet and nutrition, health and veterinary care, indoor versus outdoor, cat behaviour, etc. It’s like a one stop reference guide for everything to do with cats. The only criticism I have about the book is that it the information about different pedigree breeds was limited, a paragraph at best.

If you’ve got cats or are planning to get them The Complete Cat by Vicky Halls is well worth buying. I’m sure I’ll be re-reading sections of it as time goes by as a sort of reference guide when I’m unsure. The Complete Cat by Vicky Halls is available to buy on Amazon or at other good book retailers.

Will review Bengal Cats by Dan Rice soon,

Antony



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Teething Cats

By Home, Pets2 Comments

While doing my weekly shop I picked up a fishing rod toy for Dylan & Russell (see New editions to the family and Kittens at home and spending time with Family and Friends).

However it wasn’t just an ordinary fishing rod toy, it had a sucker on the end of the stick so that it could be attached to units to dangle freely for the kittens to play. I set it up and stepped back as Dylan started to sniff it. He got his claws on to the toy and started to gnaw on the string. In less than a minute he gnawed through the string and the toy was broke.

I watched in amazement. That’s weird they’ve done that to loads of their fishing rod toys recently. Do cats teeth? I thought. A quick Google search revealed the answer.

Kitten’s teeth between 6-12 months (this is when they loose their kitten teeth and get their adult teeth). This varies from kitten to kitten as they are all individuals and develop at different times. So give or take a month either side. Full marks to me for sussing out what was going on! To help any new kitten owners out and make it easier on the babbies…ahem…kittens I’ve given some signs and symtoms of teething along with ideas to help them teeth below:

Signs and Symptoms

  • Inflamed gums (if they’ll let you get close enough to check).
  • Rubbing gums on hard surfaces (such as kitchen draw handles).
  • Gnawing through the string on fishing rod toys.
  • Chewing on electrical wires or anything similar (remember to switch off the electricals when you go out and if possible remove them from the environment).
  • Finding small, sharp kitten teeth around the house (I found one after the fishing rod incident).
  • Reduction in eating hard food (this must be carefully monitored and remember that if in doubt take to the vets).

Helping your Kittens Teeth

  • Give them a cardboard box – Something for them to chew on, relieving the pressure off the gums.
  • Give them Whiskas Sticks – A meaty treat but also allows them to chew on this rather than furniture, etc. My kittens love them.
  • Provide straws for them to play with/bite (my kittens also love these!)
  • Provide wet (or soft) food a few times a week to ensure they are eating and keep an eye on how fast the dry food is being eaten or not.
  • Provide a kitten-friendly environment. Move all wires out of the way possible. Those wires that you can’t remove remember to switch off at the plug before you go out (to avoid kitten electrocution) and discourage kittens from going near.
  • Consider buying special kitten chew toys. Some people swear by baby teething rings (can’t say that I’ve tried these yet).
  • Finally have a read on the Internet for further ideas a good site is All About Cute Kittens and I found this Yahoo Answers site useful.

Blog Soon,

Antony

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TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 6

By Amazon, Reviews, TV, Online Streaming & FilmsNo Comments

Episode 6 starts with Rex seeing Vera incinerated. Rex vows to avenge Vera’s death. Over in Wales with Gwen following her father’s second heart attack he is deemed Category 1 by a doctor. Gwen who approaches the doctor and explains about the secret module and what goes on there. But the doctor already knows and claims she’s just doing her job. Gwen says “Shame on you. Don’t ever call yourself a doctor again.” One of my favourite lines of dialogue. Gwen eventually gets her father out of the over flow camp with the help of Rhys. She drives on a motor bike with the secret module in the background and then puts in her Torchwood contact lenses. Gwen blows up the secret module before escaping. Although a good scene, I found myself thinking: where did she suddenly get that rather nice flashy bike from?

Meanwhile in America Rex and Esther are still in the over flow camp. The director of the camp puts the camp on lockdown following incinerating Vera. Rex needs to get out of the camp and fools one of the soldiers to get his uniform, but Rex gets caught. Rex meets the camp director and Rex tells him all about Vera – unaware that it was the camp director who murdered Vera. Esther can’t get hold of Vera on her mobile and she’s worried about Rex. Esther had gone into the camp under the guise of an Administration Assistant. Esther finds out where the director has gone and follows. But the director realises that Rex and Esther know each other and Esther is forced to kill him in self defence. She finds Rex and releases him, upset that she’s killed someone. Rex reminds her that she didn’t kill him as it’s Miracle Day.

While all this is going on Captain Jack is following his own lead on the investigation. He targets the Chief Operating Officer of Phi Cop using his PA who he’s having an affair with. The Chief Operating Officer tells Jack that he’s sent agents to investigate Miracle Day himself and that he doesn’t know whose behind it. He tells Jack that he’s the middle man as everyone else seems to be and that he’s never seen the system manipulated to such a level politically and economically. He says that whoever is behind it must have been planning Miracle Day for a long time. Finally he says that one of his agents in Italy once described that they had found The Blessing, but that he has no further information on it.

Gwen finally arrives back in America to rejoin the team. Walking through the airport she gets a tannoy call to use the curtsy phone. Gwen picks up the phone and hears one word “lenses” (referring to her Torchwood contact lenses). Gwen puts them in and sees written messages. “We have your mother. We have your husband. We have your child.” Gwen asks what they want and they answer with one word “Jack.” Gwen is faced with a dilemma. Her loyalty for Jack versus saving her family. That ends Episode 6 leaving us wondering what will happen next in what’s turning out to be a fantastic series.

You can read previous Episode’s I’ve wrote here:

  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 1
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 2
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 3
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 4
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 5
  • Blog soon,

    Antony


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    Aura Photography 2

    By Paganism2 Comments

    Just over a month ago I had my aura photographed (see Aura Photography). I had a big gaping whole in my aura and it was mostly red following a difficult time and traumatic experience. Since I’ve been doing some mediation to repair and rejuvenate my aura and as a result have been feeling better. So this weekend I’ve had another aura photograph done:

    As you can see the red is starting to leave being replaced by orange and yellow. The is a distinct green around my heart. My aura no longer has the gaping whole, it seems the meditations have worked.

    I don’t know if you can tell on the photo, but on the right side there are three orbs. I am reliably informed that these are spirits or guides. It’s nice to see them with me and looking out for me.

    So what’s the meaning of the red, orange, yellow and green colours in my aura? Well you can see the meaning of red in my Aura Photography post and as for the other colours:

    Meaning of the Colours
    Orange – Brave, Strong, Confident, Positive, Adventurous, Creative, Outgoing, Arrogant, Vanity, Tension, Control, Emotional, Stubbornness.

    Yellow – Clarity, Incisiveness, Leadership, Knowledge, Honest, Happy, Individualism, Logical, Cynical, Analytical, Critical, Egotism, Negative Thinking, Stress.

    Green – Practical, Helpful, Dependable, Generous, “Moving on” through awareness, Healer, Suspicion, Bitterness, Feeling unsettled without secureness and stability, Conflict of ideas and emotions.

    As usual I’ve bolded the words that I think apply to me right now. Think I’ll have my aura photographed every month or two, just to keep an eye on the health of my energy.

    Write soon,

    Antony

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