Coffee & Cake Shop Chat

Productive morning in the kitchen. I can offer you some freshly made cheese and courgette bread rolls and yummy courgette cake. Although i need to mix up some icing to go on top later. Ive filled it with buttercream.

Off to work now for a few hours. Its just about to start raining here. It better stop by 5pm. I want to get the boys exercised tonight.
 
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What a nightmare morning for you @Trewsers
Hope your afternoon is peaceful, re the Tom cat, is there anyway you can corner him and chuck a blanket over him to allow you to grapple him into a cage? I’d definitely suggest some strong leather gloves though if you go down that route!
 
Kite_Rider said:
What a nightmare morning for you @Trewsers
Hope your afternoon is peaceful, re the Tom cat, is there anyway you can corner him and chuck a blanket over him to allow you to grapple him into a cage? I’d definitely suggest some strong leather gloves though if you go down that route!
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I did consider that actually! Lol we'd need gauntlets for sure. Seriously though, Mr T has thought of making his own trap (we just bought one but he's so wary of it I don't think it's going to be of any use on this occasion). He's thinking of rigging it up where it drops on top and then with a side trapdoor we can encourage the Tom into the cat carrier. That's the plan.............meanwhile I just have to make sure my own little six don't get injured. He's really really aggressive towards them and I do worry he'll hurt them. They are semi feral (we had been feeding the mother for a long while and she presented us with the babies) but three of them are very friendly and will happily follow me around and sit with me. So they don't know what to do with this butch aggressive boy cat!!!
 
If you can get one of your girls urine that might help entice him. Don't ask me how you will get that though ?
 
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Ale said:
If you can get one of your girls urine that might help entice him. Don't ask me how you will get that though ?
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Lol yes he keeps going for poor Rosy, she's not a bit interested. It's awful, I feel so sorry for him only having one eye and being a feral / stray but he's really becoming a serious pest. And I don't want any of ours hurting. They are a close knit little family, the mum and babies - and all get along really well. They play fight of course but nothing serious like his attacks on them. Last night was horrible!
 
Trewsers said:
Lol yes he keeps going for poor Rosy, she's not a bit interested. It's awful, I feel so sorry for him only having one eye and being a feral / stray but he's really becoming a serious pest. And I don't want any of ours hurting. They are a close knit little family, the mum and babies - and all get along really well. They play fight of course but nothing serious like his attacks on them. Last night was horrible!
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Can you shut him into the garage or utility room with the trap with some food in? That will keep your girls safe for now and I'm sure he will go in it eventually when he got hungry enough
 
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Feeling mean, my friend asked me to pick them up from the airport on 1 October after their holiday to Kos (which I think they are nuts for going on anyway) and I had initially said I would but I just messaged her to say caveat, not if things get worse/they have to quarantine as that would then mean I should too and why should I for their holiday, sorry not sorry!
 
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Ale said:
Can you shut him into the garage or utility room with the trap with some food in? That will keep your girls safe for now and I'm sure he will go in it eventually when he got hungry enough
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No, he's wary of the trap. We've had it in the garage already and he ignored it - still went pestering the others afterwards too! The other cats need to come and go - doesn't help because our garage door is broken and we're waiting on a new one being fitted. So really it's a free for all! Normally ours eat throughout the day and all show up at different times - then at night they have their bowls outside the garage side door. But due to the door being open - they are coming and going. And so is the tom.................. :eek:
 
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Jessey said:
Feeling mean, my friend asked me to pick them up from the airport on 1 October after their holiday to Kos (which I think they are nuts for going on anyway) and I had initially said I would but I just messaged her to say caveat, not if things get worse/they have to quarantine as that would then mean I should too and why should I for their holiday, sorry not sorry!
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You're not mean at all. I think the virus situation doesn't just give cause for kindness, it gives cause for self preservation! If your friend thinks it through enough, they'll realise and not be offended either. Their holiday - their choice.
 
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To get him used to the trap put the end against a wall and cover it. You can then put a trail of food towards it. Or even leave it un set and gradually edge the food closer. He needs to be hungry so make sure no food left lying around. We had a talk from a rescue at uni and this is what they suggested if it helps
 
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Jessey said:
Feeling mean, my friend asked me to pick them up from the airport on 1 October after their holiday to Kos (which I think they are nuts for going on anyway) and I had initially said I would but I just messaged her to say caveat, not if things get worse/they have to quarantine as that would then mean I should too and why should I for their holiday, sorry not sorry!
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Nope not mean at all. I wouldn’t do it either and hopefully if they really are your friends they will understand.
 
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Jessey said:
Feeling mean, my friend asked me to pick them up from the airport on 1 October after their holiday to Kos (which I think they are nuts for going on anyway) and I had initially said I would but I just messaged her to say caveat, not if things get worse/they have to quarantine as that would then mean I should too and why should I for their holiday, sorry not sorry!
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It puzzles me why people are insistent on going abroad.
Surely they can see its spiking in places.
If I had to have a break it would be in this country.
 
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Got her fec sample, she's now on the vet programme.
More sloes picked.
Meant to be raining tomorrow. Did rain today so I took cover under the shelter, she stood next to it. Ok fair enough her area works as well :)
 
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Ale said:
To get him used to the trap put the end against a wall and cover it. You can then put a trail of food towards it. Or even leave it un set and gradually edge the food closer. He needs to be hungry so make sure no food left lying around. We had a talk from a rescue at uni and this is what they suggested if it helps
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That would be ideal but I have to leave food out for the others and unfortunately, he will be able to access that too. They aren't house kitties you see, so they get fed in the garage and down the side. No good moving their food to the byre either, we tried that when it was gale force winds during the winter but they still came to the garage looking for it. We managed to trap all six of them last year including the mum but it was easy compared to this. Mainly because we had the mum done first - and then the kittens afterwards. We always do the gradual thing with food too - it makes sense when you think. But that brings another problem - we have a lot of blackbirds (clearly with a death wish) who love to steal cat food. So atm the trap is down the garage side with a nice little titbit bowl of food on the edge. Guess who ate that this afternoon.................................................
And yeah we always leave them unset at first - I remember when Felix and Amber decided to investigate - they couldn't resist (but they were kittens so probably more curious). This morning we set the trap just on the off chance he'd go right in. My feeling is he's been trapped before - and probably left somewhere else. He's much more wary than Mackeral was and she's not the youngest. I think I'm going to have to craft some kind of bespoke trap for him and do it that way. The vets are luckily very flexible and can book him right in - least that's one less worry?

And I daren't not leave any food for the others right now because Spycat went missing for two weeks and came back looking very thin. He's very very timid and I don't want him to come looking and there be nothing for him. It's all hinging on this ruddy garage door getting replaced. Honestly, talk about bad timing. Then like you suggested before I can get him into the garage and trap him actually inside there and he can't escape. Even if he doesn't go directly into the trap he can't come back out the garage once the new door is fitted.
 
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