Nicos

Not sure if this should be in food or wildlife!!!... Has anyone had any on their land?? I'm thinking of getting a few but would like to know a bit more about them such as ...do they need  a coup for night, are they easier than chooks to look after, are they less friendly than chooks,what do they eat, are they noisy- basically anything you have to offer on the subject please!!!!

Out of interset..( and forgive me if I am repeating a question)..when does a pet become a French National???

Ouch...poor thing- she doesn't look anything like your avatar now!

Sweet17- let us know how you get on eh??!

I understand that certain people in France  are entitled to claim back a percentage of the cost and installation of woodburning stoves. Is this correct  and if so.... Who is actually entitled to apply? ( ie English people - who have lived in France for more than x months/ payed income tax for x months/ over a certain age ???) Our French neighbour mentioned this to us but had no idea what criteria had to be fulfilled. Anyone know??

Thanks Clair! Not quite sure what happened, but I've relogged in and changed my password- is it case sensitive???? Problem was- when I was in France and couldn't remember my password the new one went to my UK computer -so I had no idea what to put in until I returned to the UK. The alternative was to join again as another member and I didn't want to do that! Hope this works for the next trip!

Could someone please point me in the right direction??? When I'm on a different computer ,with a different e-mail address, how can I log into this forum?? I've tried a couple of times with no success. ( I know I can change my profile...but when I click on my name  and my details come up , there's no where to change them- I must be looking in the wrong place!?) [blink]

[quote user="Monika"] I look really innocent![/quote] You think??????[:-))][:P]

Do you have another cat in the house? I ask because we had that problem for over 2 years - we tried everything and eventually decided to rehome the cat to a quiet household We had young teenagers with loads of friends and decided that she simply couldn't cope with all the noise and changes to her daily routine. A few years later I was watching an animal behaviur program on the TV and suddenly realised that what had really been the problem was that the other cat had been 'guarding ' the exit so she couldn't get to the cat flap- nor the litter tray. Why not try having a few litter trays around the house  and see if that works before your kitten gets into the habit of soiling anywhere?? My cat peed on beds, sofas,shoes, schoolbags- we tried feeliway, antidepressants, antibiotics- and she was checked out for bladder stones/tumour.A quick check at the vets might not go amiss. If only I'd tried the simple idea of extra littertrays. They're not expensive and she could well be living with us now.  Very sad. I think you need at least one tray per floor and certainly one for each cat and a spare one. Act quickly though as she's clearly 'unlearning' her litter training! Good luck!

Thanks![:)]

Is this product available in France??? Same name or under a different one?? ..or is it something to add to the list of crumpets, eccles cakes etc I'll have to take over???? ( I ask because it's a low allergy skin product) If not- what do other people use instead which is  non-bio???

An update to our 4 week stay in France..... Well we finally decided to take both cats in seperate cages bought from Pets at Home - the smallest dog size. 3 1/2 hr trip to Portsmouth one cat mewed for 1/2 hr- the other for just over an hour and then they both slept the rest of the way. They were certainly more settled with a cloth over the cage so they could only see forwards. No problem on the boat- 6 hrs - both were sleeping when we got back to the car.We'd left all the windows slightly ajar. 1 hr to the house with no mewing. 2 days in the bedroom and the cat which cried less in the car was desperate to explore the house, and by the next day was off mouse catching in the garden and field. The other cat stayed under the bed for a couple more days and then joined the other cat in the garden. Both loved the hunting and were rarely seen without a mouse hanging from their mouths!! By the end of the second week they had settled in thoroughly. The trip to the vets was fine (46 hrs before check-in)( 1st cats he'd had to do passports for) They cost E69 for them both to be wormed and defleaed and the passports filled in. Home journey was quieter with one cat but the other one needed a bowel movement and mewed until he'd done it. Neither cat ate or drank on the journies although they had access to both. The puppy training sheets in the cages were useful incase of 'accidents' We hadn't expected to get them out at the French port for their chips to be read, but they were fine as we were taken to a sealed room. Yep I'd do it again for 2 1/2 weeks or more- perhaps by this time next year I'd take them for a week or more. Both cats settled back home with no problems. Thanks for all your advice folks. These middle aged cats settled in really well - phew!

Just to let you know- that the lemon curd went down a treat...more orders in now!!!![:D]

Oh gosh.....thanks![:-))] The vet I spoke to clearly got her times wrong![:@] You've certainly put my mind at ease Fay.......thanks for taking the time to reply!

That's reassuring Fay- thanks! Out of interest, as we are considering doing the tunnel- are there any vets close to the terminal where you can just turn up, or do you have to make appointments? I know they have to be treated a maximum of 72 hrs before returning to the UK- but is it better to do the whole thing in one journey, or take them to a local vet a couple of days before leaving?

Thanks Anna- good to have a heart-felt reply. Yes- we have decided to take them with us- it took a lot of consideration- I think you are probably right in that we are being selfish. 3 weeks and we wouldn't have considered it. However , we may well end up living  permanently in our French home and between now and then spend longer and longer periods of time between the two places. I'll let you know when we return if it was Ok or a mistake!....fingers crossed.

I have to admit that I'm actually looking forward to seeing a snake ............. ( I think I'd prefer to see it in a neighbours garden though in reality!!!!) We have some very large boulders in our area- I think they were dumped during an Ice Age melt- and the farmers have relocated them into huge piles in the fields. We have a smallish pile in our garden,and they look perfect for snakes to curl up and hide/overwnter in. Strange feeling....sort of want to see them....and then prefer not to!! ( talk about being brought up in a temperate zone with a wasp being the scaryest thing to look out for!!!!![:-))]) Bit worried for the cats though.....hope mother nature kicks in with flight mode rather than attack mode!!

Thankyou for your advice!! At least we don't need to worry about Dunny spiders in northern France!![:-))]

I hope you don't mind me borrowing the thread for a mo......... Chris- what snakes are my cats likely to come across in the Suisse Normande???? ( it's their first time out there next week) Also - as the OP asked.....what do I do if one of them is bitten???

OK...an update.... We will be going for 4 weeks now (....I know...such a bore....[Www]) So they're coming with us! Bit nervous but I've read up on previous threads here which have been very interesting- thankyou! Shopping list:- 2 puppy wired carriers/cages puppy training pads 2 harnesses and leads squeezy water bottle comfort towels and throws. Think we'll do the tunnel as we'll be around them for longer than on a 3 1/2 hr speed ferry. Will also take plastic bags to chuck out any stinky stuff and a handful of dried food if they get peckish. I'll need to get a couple of litter trays, scoop and litter for when we get there ( cat-flap cats here) and I'll take out their usual feed bowls. Have I missed anything out???? ( apart from the cats , their usual food and their passports??) One other thing....do people take out their own wormer and frontline or is the price in France much the same at British vets???

No idea !! But my first thought would be to ask a butcher . I expect they don't oil them as they are in use every day though[blink]

We are looking for 3 of these lights ( better still- one with three lamps) to hang over our dining table. Are these easy to find in France?? I know they were used in Victorian Britain, but I don't want to pay loads for antiques either in the UK or France. If they could be attatched to a dimmer switch then even better!! Any ideas??[:)]

Remember- if you offer lower than the asking price then someone else can come in and secure the sale by offering the asking price! Is it that house you are after - or a bargain??? ( more likely a bit of both????)

[quote user="Nicos"]I got mine in the local Bricomarche. They're not the same size as the UK ones though so you can't swap bits over. I actually prefer the French ones as they are a bit smaller, but with the ones I bought, you have to throw away the cage attached to the handle too...seems a bit wasteful to me! [/quote] Oooops - was having a senior moment there...I wastalking about rollers not pads....sorry![Www]

We have a small area of field behind our house and the local farmer has access to grazing. When we bought the house and land we asked the notaire if the farmer would still have rights to access for grazing if we decided to use it ourselves. He said the area concerned would be too small to cause problems. Now then....we are considering asking that farmer if we can buy a bit of his land to enlarge our tiny field. Does anyone know at what point ( ie size of land) the farmer would have rights of continued access for his cows??? Also- when we bought our house and land it was automatically sent to SAFER to see if it should be offered to the local farmers first( and it wasn't) At what size does the property/land need to be before it would be offered to the local farmers if we chose to sell it??