[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Bhalla

My bunnies (Jerry and Reddish) in India...

Rabbits are great! Very intelligent and friendly.

[Akshay6988]

I've a question for cat owners here. There's a stray cat in my society, I am feeding her milk since past few months. She was pregnant and she's nursing now (sorry, I do not know the correct word to use ). I think her litter is more in number and she's not able to feed herself properly as she's become too skinny. Since last week she's coming outside my home 2 times a day, in morning and evening. So my question is what should I feed her so that she becomes healthy and can properly feed her kittens as well ? Is there specific cat food for nursing cats ?

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Akshay6988

I've a question for cat owners here. There's a stray cat in my society, I am feeding her milk since past few months. She was pregnant and she's nursing now (sorry, I do not know the correct word to use ). I think her litter is more in number and she's not able to feed herself properly as she's become too skinny. Since last week she's coming outside my home 2 times a day, in morning and evening. So my question is what should I feed her so that she becomes healthy and can properly feed her kittens as well ? Is there specific cat food for nursing cats ?

Whiskas dry and wet food. Lots of it. You are a good man

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Akshay6988

... ... ... my question is what should I feed her so that she becomes healthy and can properly feed her kittens as well ? Is there specific cat food for nursing cats ?

You should, if you are willing to spend a little money, feed her on cat food! I'm sure there may be fancy brands, maybe sold as for-nursing, but any will do.

Alternatively, meat or fish, even scraps from your kitchen if you are a non-veg family.

But milk is not much help. It is not natural to cats to drink cow milk. My experience is that, if introduced to it young, cats will like milk and continue to drink it, even if is not good for them. If they are not given it, they will be perfectly happy with a bowl of clean water to drink.

A vet once told me that a nursing mother cat (yes, I think is the right word) needs more nutrition than she did when pregnant.

[V.Narayan]

Dear Experts, I am planning/hoping to take in a pet dog in a few months for the first time ever in my life or my wife's life. PS: She has not bought into the idea yet hence my statement that I hope to do it in a few months. I'll need that time to read up on bringing up a puppy, potty & pee training (my biggest dread) and diet.

Need the inputs of the experts on this thread on some thoughts roaming through my mind:

- thinking of going for an Indie and not the pedigree breeds

- aiming to get a puppy of about 3 to 4 months old - is that old enough or too young

- should I buy a puppy or go in for adoption of a rescued puppy. Would a rescued puppy have psychological scars?

- does as ingle dog get lonely? Should it be two puppies who already know each other being taken in together. That way they'll keep each other company but double my doggy workload.

- we live in a large apartment with one large balcony and three smaller ones. We are on the 3rd floor. Should one balcony be converted into the peeing area especially when the dog is young. I guess I'll have to read up on how to potty train a dog while living in a flat. Our complex has a designated area for dog potty business.

- size? I don't want an ornamental tiny dog. I was thinking in terms of a medium sized Indie dog. A large dog would be a challenge for me and it would be unfair on the poor animal cooped up in an apartment. Any suggestions.

- my plan {of mice and men} is to do two walks a day. A longish 60-minute morning walk with me and a shorter 30-minute evening walk with self or maid.

- my only experience with pets is keep tropical fish in aquariums. That I've done with great success {even if I'm tooting my own horn} since 1973.

Plan to spend my time on homework before finalizing any decision as I don't want to tire managing a dog and then let the poor animal 'go to dogs'.

Your words of advice will be deeply appreciated.

[Sebring]

You're indeed a good man. We feed stray cats, curd rice - they like them thick and not watery. Scrap fish/remains - cats just devour. Post pregnancy they visit our window 4 times a day

Originally Posted by Akshay6988

I've a question for cat owners here. There's a stray cat in my society, I am feeding her milk since past few months. She was pregnant and she's nursing now (sorry, I do not know the correct word to use )

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Pleased to welcome the newest members of our family. After almost 2 years of our Lab passing away (at 13.5 years) we finally wanted to get another pup. Though we were initially keen for a Lab, we thought it will be better to adopt an Indie dog instead this time.
So please welcome Milo - he is a 4 week old Indie pup born in a Village in Rajasthan (Nimbhor, near Anantpura).
He is a bundle of joy and very naughty already.
Attachment 2140889

Congratulations on the new addition to your family! You have done a very good deed by rescuing this pup. I have rescued two Indies myself and I can tell you they are no less than any fancy breed out there.

Milo looks very very similar to my Snowie. I found Snowie in December, 2020 and he was also around 4 weeks old. Here's a pic of him the first day he came home:



Clicked only a month back:



The most recent one. Clicked last week:


His skittish behaviour and temperament has led me to believe he has Rajapalayam genes. Even his slender body structure is unlike any other street dog I have seen TBH.

Do keep updating this thread with pics of Milo!

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

- thinking of going for an Indie and not the pedigree breeds

- aiming to get a puppy of about 3 to 4 months old - is that old enough or too young

- should I buy a puppy or go in for adoption of a rescued puppy. Would a rescued puppy have psychological scars?

- does as ingle dog get lonely? Should it be two puppies who already know each other being taken in together. That way they'll keep each other company but double my doggy workload.

- we live in a large apartment with one large balcony and three smaller ones. We are on the 3rd floor. Should one balcony be converted into the peeing area especially when the dog is young. I guess I'll have to read up on how to potty train a dog while living in a flat. Our complex has a designated area for dog potty business.

- size? I don't want an ornamental tiny dog. I was thinking in terms of a medium sized Indie dog. A large dog would be a challenge for me and it would be unfair on the poor animal cooped up in an apartment. Any suggestions.
.

Great decision and thanks for deciding to adopt an indie dog. They are good lovable companions and will easily adjust to your family. Let me address most of your queries :

1) Indie dogs are well adjusted and less disease prone

2) the ideal age to adopt a pup is 35-60 days (in my experience) as younger than this, their immune system is not developed well enough and they need mother's milk to develop. After 35 days they can still be weaned and can be fed puppy porridge. It is also important for a puppy to have human interaction at this stage. Also early human interaction makes them better adjusted to families. Older pups of 3-4 months can be adopted but by that time they already may have got some got some bad habits which may take time to readjust.

3) rescued puppies are fine and you can visit an NGO if you want to adopt..Jeevashram is a good NGO near Mahipalpur where you can check out.

4) All dogs get lonely! Especially puppies, they do not like being left alone at any time when young. They constantly need attention and care. When they grow older than 6 months, they can be left alone for 3-4 hours. Adult dogs can stay at home alone for 7-hours but generally not more than that.

5) getting two pups is a good idea if they are to be left alone, but they will need double the attention and also double care. Since you are raising a pup the first time, I would recommend getting only one first.

6) for potty training it does take 2-3 months and till that time you need to be prepared for surprises all over your house! They are very small kids and at this stage expecting them to use a designated area is very difficult, but they learn quickly by the time they are 4 months old. I am also raising a young pup (7 week old now) and we are halfway there with his training. When we take him to his designated area he does the job there but when he is alone and feels the urge, he relieves himself wherever he wants. At 3 months age we will crate train him and then he should be fully trained.

7) get a medium size indie dog (upto 18kg adult dog weight) and you should be fine. Any heavier dog / larger dog will need lots of exercise and may be difficult to manage as a first time dog parent.

All the best!

Here's a recent pic of my Milo (now 7 weeks). He is growing up fast and now runs quite fast!

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Akshay6988

I've a question for cat owners here. There's a stray cat in my society, I am feeding her milk since past few months. She was pregnant and she's nursing now (sorry, I do not know the correct word to use ). I think her litter is more in number and she's not able to feed herself properly as she's become too skinny. Since last week she's coming outside my home 2 times a day, in morning and evening. So my question is what should I feed her so that she becomes healthy and can properly feed her kittens as well ? Is there specific cat food for nursing cats ?

Good man!

Easiest option - cat food. Any options - Whiskas, etc. Very much needed at this important stage. We had a street cat that gave birth in our building. I used to feed her Whiskas Ocean fish flavor and she loved it. The other tenants used to feed her chappati and milk which she hardly touched once she started getting food from me.

If you want to put effort, boiled non-veg (fish, chicken, etc.) if you can. Ignore the milk - it's actually bad for her.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Dear Experts, I am planning/hoping to take in a pet dog in a few months for the first time ever in my life or my wife's life. PS: She has not bought into the idea yet hence my statement that I hope to do it in a few months. I'll need that time to read up on bringing up a puppy, potty & pee training (my biggest dread) and diet.

Sir, @behemoth has answered most of your questions so I won't repeat.

Just a few additional pointers

1. Two dogs would not be 2X the effort, but probably 1.5X the effort. But benefits are >2X as they would also keep each other involved, etc. Also helps on the loneliness aspect in case you have to leave them at home for longer periods. Works really well if both the puppies are from the same litter or have lived together.

But please talk to your wife/family on that - they might have a view on 1 vs 2 puppies. You could always add another puppy/dog later once the first one is adopted. It doesn't take very long or much effort for pet dogs to get friendly with each other, especially indie dogs.

2. Rescued puppies would be as good as any. Dogs are amazing creatures and even if they had any scars, they heal extremely fast with love and care. I'd hardly worry about it.

3. Pee training is basically the first ~2 weeks. It might be even lesser as the dog/puppy might already have got the necessary training. Get that right and you are set for life. The two walks that you are considering would be more defined by your dog's bathroom cycles than just your preferences

[V.Narayan]

Behemoth, ninjatalli, thank you very much for your prompt and most useful answers.:-)

[Sebring]

Just go for it without further thought. Pets change your life, make you very calm. Indie, as a breed, is very friendly/loving/caring and literally grow up by themselves. Very strong, and not prone to disease, so maintenance is zero - just their annual vaccines. They eat anything you give them, so no worries about delicate diet either. Adopt a dog instead of buying (Sale dogs have trauma since they're badly brought up in tight cages) and there are literally hundreds out there. Regarding potty training, you get this spray and whichever spot the newspapers are soaked and kept - they will identify. After a while they make it a habit. My friend used to soak their urine in newspapers and designate a spot. Takes three-four months. Walks will be twice a day. Since you're new, raise one dog. And after a year or two, can decide on another. Good luck. (Sorry, I typed this in a hurry, since I have a presentation for tomorrow morning. May have missed a point or two)

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Dear Experts, I am planning/hoping to take in a pet dog in a few months for the first time ever in my life or my wife's life.

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Dear Experts, I am planning/hoping to take in a pet dog in a few months for the first time ever...

Hello sir. Firstly, all the best for convincing your better half. It can get quite tough. My mom frankly never warmed upto the idea until I actually introduced her to a few street dogs near my home. After a bit of familiarising, she eventually got comfortable with touching them and loved it, so much so that she now treats them like her own children and prepares food for them! It's an uphill task, but the results are worth it.

- I would suggest an Indie. Reasons have already been mentioned before by many experts here. Indies are no less loyal than any pedigree dog out there unlike what many people believe. They are very well suited to our climate and also have a varied gene pool, which basically enables them to be resilient to a number of diseases. I have also found them to be a lot more lean and fit as compared to similarly fed pedigree dogs

- A puppy which is more than 35-38 weeks old should be fine. I found both my pups when they were around 25-28 weeks old and I can tell you that's a bit too early. I could notice they were taking time to adapt to the food I was feeding them.

- Indie pups are usually not put up for sale anyways unless they are mixed breeds born unwillingly. Bemoth's suggestion is what I would go with. A dog shelter near you will surely have a puppy to carry home. Rescued puppies are usually too young to have severe psychological scars so this shouldn't be a worry

- Yes, they do get lonely. A puppy will eventually forget it's mother, but human warmth and attention is something it will constantly need once it comes home. I would suggest you buy one, keep it for 6-7 months and then decide whether to go in for a second one or not

- It's a good idea to designate an area but don't expect the puppy to obey for 1-2 months atleast. Young puppies don't have bladder control. Snowie kept peeing all over the house endlessly. Took him 2 months to get some control over his urine. Having said this, he was clear on where he should poo, which was usually in the bushes when we took him for his walks. Fix up a schedule and follow it.

- Indies are the perfect size usually unless it's a mixed breed. So this shouldn't be a worry for you

- Your idea of walks sounds good. I would suggest you also try and incorporate his pooing time with the walks such that he gets conditioned to pooing outside. Once he gets bladder control, he can also pee outside.

You have done a good job by researching. I recently had a family friend buy a lab puppy only for him to realise that he had an allergy due to its fur rubbing against his legs (cashing blisters). Do check if you or any of the members in your family have any such allergies and then proceed.

[Akshay6988]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Whiskas dry and wet food. Lots of it.

Originally Posted by Sebring

Scrap fish/remains - cats just devour. Post pregnancy they visit our window 4 times a day

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Good man!

Easiest option - cat food. Any options - Whiskas, etc. Very much needed at this important stage. We had a street cat that gave birth in our building. I used to feed her Whiskas Ocean fish flavor and she loved it. The other tenants used to feed her chappati and milk which she hardly touched once she started getting food from me.

If you want to put effort, boiled non-veg (fish, chicken, etc.) if you can. Ignore the milk - it's actually bad for her.

Thanks a lot guys for your help. Today I got Whiskas dry food (half kg packet, as I wasn't sure if she would like it) and wet food (4 small packets) both. She came meowing at my door, poor girl sounded very weak :(
I gave her wet food, the whole packet in a dish. She gulped it down in no time ! After that I gave her dry food in same dish, she was first hesitant to eat it. So I hand fed her some and she then started eating on her own from the dish
You can see how skinny she has become. Even after one dish of dry food she was sitting at the door, meowing at me. So I fed her some more, but she left without eating much of it.
We do have chicken on the weekends, I'll get some for her as well. I kept a bowl of milk overnight for her yesterday, as I couldn't go out to get the cat food. I will not give her milk now onwards
I'm thinking of getting her dried tiny prawns (sukkat) and dry bombay duck. Hope she likes it.

[V.Narayan]

Behemoth, ninjatalli, vishy76 and Sebring, Gentlemen thank you for your detailed answers delivered so promptly. Shows your love for both your pets and dogs in general. I will come back to you over the next few months as I get closer to the point in time of getting a puppy. It might be more than a few months as both my mother {who lives with us} and my wife {the big cat} are firmly opposed to the idea.

Originally Posted by Behemoth

2) the ideal age to adopt a pup is 35-60 days (in my experience) as younger than this, their immune system is not developed well enough and they need mother's milk to develop. After 35 days they can still be weaned and can be fed puppy porridge. It is also important for a puppy to have human interaction at this stage. Also early human interaction makes them better adjusted to families. Older pups of 3-4 months can be adopted but by that time they already may have got some got some bad habits which may take time to readjust.

Originally Posted by vishy76

- A puppy which is more than 35-38 weeks old should be fine. I found both my pups when they were around 25-28 weeks old and I can tell you that's a bit too early. I could notice they were taking time to adapt to the food I was feeding them.

Can you help me with the ideal age range in which to adopt the puppy. Member Behemoth says 35-60 days which is 5 to 8/9 weeks. Member vishy76 says 35 to 38 weeks old. I assume both answers are correct in their own way. I read that for proper immunity development the puppies should get mothers milk till they are 8 weeks old. Please can I request for some more guidance here.

3) rescued puppies are fine and you can visit an NGO if you want to adopt..Jeevashram is a good NGO near Mahipalpur where you can check out.

+1. I'll check them out.

4) All dogs get lonely! Especially puppies, they do not like being left alone at any time when young. They constantly need attention and care. When they grow older than 6 months, they can be left alone for 3-4 hours. Adult dogs can stay at home alone for 7-hours but generally not more than that.

Here are you referring to lonely without the prime care giver {in this case me} or lonely without any human in the flat. We usually have at least one human in the flat given that we have two aged folks living with us.

6) for potty training it does take 2-3 months and till that time you need to be prepared for surprises all over your house! They are very small kids and at this stage expecting them to use a designated area is very difficult,

This explains it very well. I'll have to treat him/her as my first grandchild. We need one and our kids are refusing to co-operate

At 3 months age we will crate train him and then he should be fully trained.

I'll circle back on this at the right time.

7) get a medium size indie dog (upto 18kg adult dog weight) and you should be fine.

That's useful to have a measure to go by.

Any heavier dog / larger dog will need lots of exercise and may be difficult to manage as a first time dog parent.

Agree. I see neighbours living in apartments like mine keeping huge dogs and cold climate dogs - I just see it as a punishment for the poor animal. An 18 kgs dog will fit well.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

2. Rescued puppies would be as good as any. Dogs are amazing creatures and even if they had any scars, they heal extremely fast with love and care. I'd hardly worry about it.

Very reassuring to hear this.

The two walks that you are considering would be more defined by your dog's bathroom cycles than just your preferences

Thank you for that reality check.

Originally Posted by Sebring

Just go for it without further thought. Pets change your life, make you very calm. Indie, as a breed, is very friendly/loving/caring and literally grow up by themselves. Very strong, and not prone to disease, so maintenance is zero - just their annual vaccines. They eat anything you give them, so no worries about delicate diet either.

Tallies with all my research.

Adopt a dog instead of buying (Sale dogs have trauma since they're badly brought up in tight cages)

Good to learn this early on.

Originally Posted by vishy76

You have done a good job by researching. I recently had a family friend buy a lab puppy only for him to realise.

Yes I plan to read up a fair amount before diving in. Also because I wish to keep the animal in as natural a state as possible. My aquarium has spawned fish for over two decades which is an indication of the bio balance within the tank. Same approach here.

My sincere thanks to each of you. I'll circle back later. This data has been very useful. Some photos of my fish. I realize that fish maintenance is 1/20th of what is needed for a dog.

Vishy76 your dog looks handsome and alert. Behemoth your little fellow is adorable.

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Behemoth, ninjatalli, vishy76 and Sebring, Gentlemen thank you for your detailed answers delivered so promptly. Shows your love for both your pets and dogs in general. I will come back to you over the next few months as I get closer to the point in time of getting a puppy. It might be more than a few months as both my mother {who lives with us} and my wife {the big cat} are firmly opposed to the idea.
Can you help me with the ideal age range in which to adopt the puppy. Member Behemoth says 35-60 days which is 5 to 8/9 weeks. Member vishy76 says 35 to 38 weeks old. I

Thanks for the kind words sir.

Apologies. I meant 35-38 days which roughly translates to 5-6 weeks old. That should be the ideal age to get a pup home.

All the best