Jackie

Just to agree with what JR says and it works well for me. What does he mean by naughty, don't think it is illegal!

Ok thanks that is the conclusion I had come to and yes the OH has not changed much and we both wore glasses and smiled in the previous photos which is verboten now in the latest ones but other than that not really that different...............J

Not really a French legal issue but having noted that previous questions on this topic have been posted here I wonder if anyone has had problems applying for a passport renewal without a counter signature. This would suggest that such is not often required for a renewal if appearance has not changed significantly.  http://ukinfrance.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/passports/faqs/general/countersign-app-form  Also I note that a S.A.E. seems not to be required. Any comments folks?...........................J

Yes thanks I think that is right so we will take her for vaccination this evening. The issue about peeing will be raised first and blood test if neccessary. Sterilisation can wait if she really is not pregnant for a week or two I guess................Jackie

Just thought I would update on the kittens. Now upstairs and temporarily shut in a room with frequent visits from us and lots of things to play with which they do usually at about 5 am! The vet, who gave them their first vaccinations yesterday, advised keeping them isolated from the cat that recently adopted us for a week following their vaccinations. They seem happy enough and spend their time rushing around like lunatics, playing with us and sleeping.   We have concerns about the adopted cat in that she needs vaccination as well as her history is unknown and we think she is peeing rather more than one would expect. Having had cats with failing kidneys in the past it could be we are a bit too sensitive on this issue though it would be a surprise if a 18 month old cat had kidney problems. We have to bear in mind that this is not our cat and although we would love her to stay with us someone may yet come and claim her having seen one of the posters we put about when she appeared knocking on our window a week ago.   So our dilemma is do we have her vaccinated now and blood tested for renal problems or wait a bit longer to see if she has to leave us. The cost of the vaccination, despite being to my mind expensive, is not the issue. What is important is that how much of a risk does she present to the kittens if we let them meet after the 7 days are up and by delaying would we be putting her health at risk plus how would an owner feel if we had this done and then they subsequently turn up?..................Jackie 

Went to the pharmacy this a.m. and got a couple of yellow plastic tick removers, one for small and one for large ticks, and had a go. On examination we found four more ticks round the ears. Two larger white body types and two smaller dark coloured ones. The tool works ok but holding her steady and trying to twist the blighters off ain't easy. Got them all off but would not guarantee they were intact. Rather a loud click when they where coaxed out. I say coaxed but puss was really thrashing about despite having wrapped her in a towel. Painted Vetadine on but cannot be sure we got it onto the skin at each site. We will check those areas daily for signs of infection and hope there will be none. The pharmacist did confirm that as we have wormed her the Frontline should not be applied for a week which is not good as we have seen one or two small fleas! Will get a spray for the furniture that she has been sitting on. Hope she does not regret finding us! Thanks to all for the information.................Jackie

Would someone advise on how to deal with a tick. Just found another one near the outside tip of her ear. See post: http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/2012184/ShowPost.aspx I have some Frontline from the vet to apply to the back of her neck and although I have read about removing ticks with tweezers I don't think she is going to keep still while I do this. I was going to apply the Frontline tomorrow as she had a worming pill today and I did not want to have her system overloaded with too many chemicals at once. Can it wait until tomorrow or should I have a go now with the tweezers? Never had to deal with a tick before having had mostly indoor cats and a bit worried I might leave some mouth parts behind and cause an infection!.............Jackie

Well the vet scanned her and found no chip. He thought she was about 18 months old and seemed in good condition though he did find a small tick on her neck. We have arranged to have her vaccinated next week if nobody claims her and have put a few more posters about the area. He said that he did not think her to be pregnant and could not find any scar suggesting sterilisation had been done. We have some front line to apply and a worming tablet. If not claimed she will go back for vaccination and we will arrange to have her sterilised as well. I did raise the point about the risk of giving the kittens some infection if she came into the house proper as despite having heating we don't want to leave her out in the Veranda any longer than necessary. He indicated that she was at as much risk from the kittens giving her something as the other way round. He also said that vaccination would be effective after about 8 days and whilst he did not shoot down my suggestion of temporary isolation I don't think he was strongly of the opinion that I was right in this. So not sure if we should continue to isolate her for a couple of weeks or not. He condemned the collar as it was too heavy and had no release mechanism if it got caught in something so he removed it much to her satisfaction.We do go out to play with her several times a day but I am sure she is feeling a bit lonely. We will also have the kittens vaccinated as soon as possible though he did suggest that this should have already been done along with tattooing but I don't think it has been done but I will check..................................................Jackie

Yes we hope to get to the vet this evening. I have a hospital appointment today and hope they don't keep me too long otherwise it will have to be tomorrow. A few more posters to deliver to mailboxes to cover some houses a bit further away than the ones already covered. The cat seems very happy curled up on a blanket in the veranda with a full tummy, only food I hope! We put a little heater on for her last night and she seems very content with us. Difficult to believe someone could abandon such a friendly animal who has obviously been well cared for, time will tell..................Jackie

Following the demise of our cat Ben we have virtually signed up to adopt two male kittens from an animal shelter and hope to pick them up this coming weekend. However, and somewhat spookily, a cat came knocking on our window yesterday. It badly wanted to come into the warm. Because of the risk of it leaving some infection in the house and the potential risk to the kittens we gave it some food in the barn where it spent the night. It would seem to be in good condition, quite young and relates well to us so not feral and it is wearing what looks like an anti-parasite collar but no name tag. Now we have been to see the neighbours and left a photo with contact information in all of the local houses letter boxes and one for the Mairie to display as well as in local shops. Nobody so far has said that they recognise it. I don't think a cat like this would wander far from home so I suppose someone dumping it from a car is a possibility. We would be happy to adopt it but wonder how soon we could assume that it belonged to us. The point is that it would have to be examined by a vet before being allowed into the house proper and mixing with the kittens. We think it might be female and if so it would need to be spayed very soon. If it is female it could be already pregnant I suppose so if not too far advanced spaying might be of some urgency. Vaccinations may never have been done and that would be somewhat urgent too. We have her/him now in a verandah adjoining the house and it should be ok in there for a few days. Food, water, litter tray, which it seems to know how to use, and some heat we can provide. So the question is how soon can we assume that we can go ahead with treatment/spaying etc. We are 2kms from the village and there are only a few farm houses around here and so far nobody has claimed/recognised the cat thought it is early days of course. We need to do something about getting it examined before the adopted kittens arrive. There is no sign of a tattoo in the ears but the vet could tell us if it has a chip. I don't think the police, located two villages away would be interested. Any advice would be welcome.......................................Jackie PS Does anyone know what French law says about this?

Yes I did Val, thanks. I sent a reply...............................J  

Ok so where did the rest of this thread go? Several replies disappeared sometime this morning!................Jackie PS valB did you get my email/pm re security problem? If not I will send it again, no connection with these missing replies I suppose? Some of the pms have gone too!

Thanks valB but no email received. I wonder could you pm it to me? Thanks Panda and I will look those two up.............Jackie PS Have signed up to AngloInfo and found some info about a couple of local kittens and am waiting for a return email from the the people that posted about them but keeping our options open we are still looking in other places.  PPS Info now received valB, thank you.

As John may have told you good people on another thread our beloved Ben is no more and we are now looking to adopt two male kittens. A second choice would be a young female and her kitten. We have emailed several refuges in our area and lodged our interest at two local vet surgeries. If anyone knows of either of these options do please let us know. We are located near St Maixent L'Ecole..........................Jackie 

Yes it was not until last Spring that I found out that bread was no good for them and I can only hope that in the past no bird has suffered as a result of my putting out bread. More snow here to the east of Niort, big flakes and laying on top of this mornings snow. Hope we can get to town on Friday as I have an X-ray to get done!

Folowing comments like these from the RSPB we have stopped putting out bread and use the seeds you can get from places like Bricomarché. They seem to like sunflower seeds best of all.  "Bread is often thrown out to the birds but it doesn't actually contain any of the vital ingredients to provide birds with the energy they need to breed and feed," said Val Osborne, the RSPB's head of wildlife inquiries. "We are asking people to consider alternatives." See http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3927291.ece

Don't forget a little food and water for our feathered friends folks. I have had to change the water at least three times a day recently as it keeps going solid of course! About 2cms of the white stuff this am. Saw two red squirrels sipping water from the swimming pool this am so they must be thirsty too.

From our experience Loir tend to make high pitched squeaks when chasing each other around the wall spaces. If frightened or aggressive, like in a humane trap, they make a sort of lower pitched gargle noise. As Chris indicates they should all be hibernating now but having said that we have seen the odd one raid our bird table in the winter months. Ultra sound worked for us in reducing numbers but only for a year or two, they just got used to it I assume! We just ferry them to the woods a few ks away and let them go. Please don't use chemicals to kill them, think of the other wild life that feed off them that would be poisoned too, not to mention feral and domestic cats.....................................Jackie

Yes indeed and used to do this but I wonder if the filters in the average vac would stop the little blighters and their poo getting through in which case they would be spread all over the house. I understand that it is their poo which causes some of us problems. In other words are the microfilters in vacs really good enough? See  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/72190.php   .....................................................J

Ok well I tried an Actifed tablet this am with brilliant results. Chest cleared and nose dried up within an hour or two. It is an antihistamine with something else and good for sensitivity to house mites, pollen, and general allergic rhinitis. Proof, if proof were needed, that my response was an allergic one and not an infection. Managed to get a bombe called Acardust 400 from the local chemist. Not cheap as cost 28.51 Euros for this largish aerosol of 400ml but we will give it a try. Says you only need to use it every three months. Will report back if you wish if it has any good effect. One good thing is that the destructions are in both French and English but only on the box and not on the sheet inside. Not yet convinced the problem is house mites as have recently decorated downstairs including painting all the walls and the beams with no effect on the allergic reactions which have been just as bad as in previous years, if not worse this year...................ATB......................J  PS Only mentioned the book as some think that food allergy or intolerance can tweak the autoimmune system giving rise to other problems like skin reactions to harmless substances and one assumes this could include the lining of the nose and throat, lungs etc.

Hi again Mrs H and sorry to hear that you have multiple allergies. I had been set up to have the desensitisation shots some years ago but they were cancelled at the last minute as someone decided that they were too risky as they had seen off a few people due to anaphylactic shock . The EPD injections were a different kettle of fish and were low risk and worked really well, it is just a pity that we cannot get them here, used to go to the The Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital for these about three times a year. In my case it was thought that the allergies were linked to having IBD and something about large molecules getting into the blood stream. I wonder if food allergy is also an issue for you, in which case you might find this book of interest if you have not already read it.  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Not-All-Mind-Richard-Mackarness/dp/0330245929  Many thanks for your good wishes and hope all goes well for you..........................J  

Thanks for the replies. Pretty certain it is an allergy to house mites and nothing seasonal as have it all year round though more in Winter and only in the house. Used to have EPD injections in the UK for this and it was a complete cure. Have not found EPD being used around here so the problems have resurfaced. I will try the bombe suggestion and maybe an air purifier though would be obliged to anyone that has one for more information/recommendation. I would be concerned about antihistamine for long periods without a medical control. No book mites seen and we were tested for cat dander allergy with negative results.....................................J

Just to raise again the subject of allergic rhinitis in these old French houses, we went to see the doc yesterday and raised this subject as we both now are suffering quite badly with secondary repiratory infections, more than just a snizzle! He suggested getting a bombe anti-allergique and spraying along all the edging tiles at the bottom of the walls. The only such bombe I can find on the web seems to be one which kills house mites, acariens, and molds and I wonder if I have misunderstood what he was saying or if not, what make of bombe others have used.  We have tiled floors throughout and no carpets, just a couple of door mats so I would have thought nowhere for the little blighters to breed other than bedding. We find downstairs is worse than upstairs. I gather that house mites may feed on molds which may be why he suggested spraying along the bottom of the walls downstairs as if there were any damp, none visible, that is where it would be. I did suggest to him an air-filter/purifier but he was not in favour of this solution and having looked at the net one for the whole of our ground floor, nearly open plan, would be quite expensive so I would like to be certain  it would help before buying one. Has anyone else had this problem and what did you use to solve it?...........J

We were with Cheltenham and Gloucester before we moved to France. Sometime after we got  here they decided that they did not want us and others like us having an account in the UK and closed it down which is why we went off-shore. Paranoia about money laundering etc I suppose! Do any UK based Building Societies allow you to open an account and give interest gross with deposit protection of 35,000 pounds or whatever if you live abroad I wonder, one suspects not!......................J http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7482914.stm

Thanks I take it you refer to this:  Deposits are not subject to deposit protection under UK law. The amount of compensation payable is limited to 75% of an eligible protected deposit, subject to an overall maximum of £15,000 or the currency equivalent, in respect of each eligible depositor. A bit worrying then?...............................J