THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

[Deleted User]

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

How would you cat owners feed your cats in a prolonged emergency situation after the cat food ran out?

Buggalugs would feed herself.

I know dogs are omnivores and 'could' exist on human leftovers etc. perfectly well but cats being 'carnivores' have to have meat don't they?

Cats don't have to eat nothing but meat.

In addition to meat, Buggalugs eats chips, pasta, sponge pudding and even Quorn.

[Deleted User]

Good on Buggalugs, she's awesome!!! what a feline!!!

OK what about dogs and other domestic animals? If food was in short supply for yourselves and families would the luxury of having purely a 'pet' be enough to make it worth while sharing what little foodstuffs you DO have or would the 'pet' have to have some tangible use like the cats keeping down vermin, dogs being 'on guard' and a deterrent to potential wrongdoers or chickens to give eggs. In some cases like keeping rabbits/guinea pigs for the pot it would be possible to find enough 'wild' food to keep them fed and healthy but for most they would need 'human' input. I ask as I read an article about WW2 where many folks seeing it was going to happen had pets put down because it was known there would be food shortages and difficulties in keeping pets fed too.

GreyQueen

Keep a purposeless animal for entertainment and emotional satisfaction is a luxurious habit which would not last in a real crisis.

What happens with dogs in a reeling economy is that they are abandoned by their owners. When things get really bad, the packsof stray dogs disappear into stewpots. Likewise other animals; only the other week someone was telling me about a thoroughbred racehorse stallion (not in this country) which was killed and turned into human foodstuffs.

Cats are pretty adept at fending for themselves and every one I've ever known has been an adept hunter and a pretty good sneak-thief. Cats also have to be domesticated at each and every generation and kittens who aren't handled will soon become feral cats. I know of a colony of them which has been in existance for several years and they seem in pretty good shape, doing their own thing down by the river.

jk0

Anyone hear the story about the starving family in Russia who were so hungry they had to eat their dog? The small boy found some bones on his plate, and said, 'What a shame. Rover would have liked these.'

maryb

During WW2 some food was available for pets from meat that was not fit for human consumption but there wasn't much of it. Of course, although there were shortages of just about everything, most of civil society carried on functioning amazingly well even in blitzed cities. It couldn't have been done otherwise.

You're right Mrs L, a lot of people did have their pets put down when war was declared because they were expecting so many casualties from bombing. It was a plot element in a Nevil Shute novel as I remember, about a research scientist who had his beloved dog put down in September 1939 and then of course the Phoney War followed and that made him very bitter because he could have kept his dog especially as he was billeted in the country

[Deleted User]

jk0 wrote: »

Anyone hear the story about the starving family in Russia who were so hungry they had to eat their dog?

Wouldn't be the first time it has happened.

If things get really bad, all pets, be they dogs, cats, and even goldfish, should be considered meals.

The only exception would be a hound, that is an exceptional hunter/retriever.

moneyistooshorttomention

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Wouldn't be the first time it has happened.

If things get really bad, all pets, be they dogs, cats, and even goldfish, should be considered meals.

The only exception would be a hound, that is an exceptional hunter/retriever.

The screech you just heard was Buggalugs beating a hasty retreat and deciding to re-home herself just in case you meant it......

Shropshirelass

Interesting discussion on feeding/keeping pets in a crisis economy situation. Some pets become valuable members of the household making their survival important to their humans.

Dogs will eat leftovers, and you can supplement these by cooking up (scrubbed clean) vegetable peelings, and adding lots of gravy. Eggs are a good protein addition.

Hungry cats will eat porridge or pobs (bread and milk to southerners) eggs again useful for added protein.

But farm cats, and dogs, are traditionally kept a bit hungry to encourage mouse and rat reduction. And to prevent the dogs from getting too fat and lazy to discourage the foxes from your hencoop, or other two legged scavengers...

jk0

As we've just been talking about cats & spiders, the latest Simon's Cat episode seems very topical:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruTB5jBGXsE

Shropshirelass

Simon's cat - lovely! Spiders :eek: We recently invested in a sonic device which discourages spiders from inhabiting an area, in our case the loft. It is also supposed to work for mice, and bats (which we don't have indoors, but there are some around the garden).

There do seem to be less spiders around. We've never had mice upstairs, but in the kitchen and shed, we set traps, and the terrier is very efficient at sniffing things out. I would consider getting a cat, but OH doesn't like them and can't help teasing them. I think cats need to be Boss, in their own opinion at least, which leads to a Power Struggle, not conducive to peace in the home.